Additional Resources For Independent Inventors: Over time we've developed a list of valuable resources for independent inventors of toys, games, baby and gift products. The following are a few of the important, primary, sources of information you should have available to use: Patent Cafe A comprehensive Information Source for inventors. This Web site covers everything you need to know about invention, from idea to protection, to a product in the marketplace. The depth of the inventor resources they provide is very impressive. Plan on spending some time here. There is a lot to see and learn. While you're there, check out the rating they gave us under Licensing Agents and Prototypers: ***(Three Stars) Reviewed Patent Cafe Best. They were so impressed, in fact, they asked Paul Lapidus to be an Expert Guest in Segment 5 - "Designing Inventions That Sell" in the award winning Patents in Commerce Training Series. Check it out below. Patents In Commerce This is the Web site of a new and comprehensive training series aimed at innovators and small business entrepreneurs wishing to learn everything they need to know about creating, developing, manufacturing and marketing successful new product innovations. Paul Lapidus was an expert guest in Segment 5 - "Designing Inventions That Sell" Lapidus - Patents In Commerce Expert Biography National Inventor Fraud Center, Inc. (NIFC) c/o Neustel Law Offfices, LTD, 2534 South University Drive, Suite No. 4, Fargo, ND 58103. Their phone number is (701) 281-8822. Having found this site on the Internet, we thought it was important to share it with you. Over the last several years we have spoken to many inventors who had been ripped-off by one of the many heavily promoted "invention marketing companies" who claim they can show and "license your concept to industry". These companies charge thousands of dollars for useless 'design' patents, and many more thousands of dollars for even more questionable inventor representation. So, check this site out. It may keep you from falling prey to them in the first place, and if you're one of the thousands of inventors who've already been taken by one of thes companies, it may also help you get back some of your money. (We've contacted Michael Neustel at NIFC, and shared with him the information we've gathered on a number of invention marketing companies. Based on our background, success, and reputation in the toy, gift, and juvenile products industries, he has offered to place us on NIFC's "Good Guys" list. Check it out. The list contains other companies that represent independent inventors, and you may want to get information from them. If you do, check them out, and then work with whomever you feel most comfortable.) Federal Trade Commission (FTC) A Web site on how to spot fraudulent Invention Promotion Companies. The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop and avoid them. To file a complaint or to get free information on consumer issues, visit www.ftc.gov or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. Toy Industry Association (TIA) 200 Fifth Avenue, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10010. Their phone number is (212) 675-1141. When you call them, ask them to send you their two free booklets: Toy Industry Fact Book and the Toy Inventor/Designer Guide. Although the Toy Inventor/Designer Guide needs to be updated to better reflect the realities of today's toy industry and its search for new products (to say nothing about the needs and financial responsibilities of independent inventors), it does contain information you'll find generally helpful. You may wish to check with us (or another professional in the industry), for more current industry and inventor information. (Please Note: You can get the Industry Fact Book and Inventor/Designer Guide by clicking on the link to TIA we've provided you.) Hasbro Toys & Games Brokers/Representative List If you’d like a list of other Toy & Game Brokers/Representatives who may be able to help you license your new product idea, this is a link to Hasbro’s website and their Customer Service web page. On it, you’ll find Hasbro policy for (not) working with Independent Inventors. Towards the bottom of the page you’ll find a colored bar with the words “File Attachments” on it. Right under that is a link to Hasbro’s Broker List Feb 09.doc. Click on the link, and a copy of the List will be downloaded to your computer’s desktop. Although we hope you'll choose to work with us, you may want to get information from other companies on the list, and work with the one you feel most comfortable with. Dr. Toy’s Guide ( www.drtoy.com Quid Baby A comprehensive on-line directory of information and help for new and expectant parents. As such, it is an important resource for independent inventors who have created, or who are thinking about, a new baby product idea. The Bloom Report Post Office Box 6363, East Brunswick, NJ 08816 A news and informative source compiled, edited, and published for the toy and allied industries by Phillip A. Bloom & Associates, consultants to global retailers and manufacturers. Playthings Magazine (Playthings) 51 Madison Avenue, Nw York, NY 10010. Their phone number is (212) 689-4411. This is the toy industry's number one trade publication. It's a must for those of you who are interested in inventing toys and games, as it provides inside information on all of the industry's product categories. When you get a subscription to this monthly trade magazine, you'll also get the "Playthings Buyers Guide". It comes out once a year, and is a directory of all of the players in the industry, from professional designers (like us) to manufacturers, buyers, sales reps, and toy and game component suppliers. Great Idea Gear This is the prepublication Web site for a great new book by Richard C. Levy and Ronald O. Weingartner, two well known and highly respective professionals in the mass market toy industry. Their new book is entitled, The Toy and Game Inventor's Handbook. It's crammed full of firsthand, empirical, insider information gleaned from hours of interviews with the industry's most successful independent toy and game inventors, and its most knowledgeable and influential executives, leaders and observers. Available in stores in July, 2003, it's recommend reading for all aspiring toy and game inventors. United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) This website is the home of the United States Patent & Trademark Office. It provides information on patents and copyrights, and it has a data base for searching all US patents. Although you do not need a patent or copyright to work with us, or for us to work with our company clients on your behalf (as we work with you and our clients under Confidentail Nondisclosure Agreements) it's still a good idea to check whether someone else may have already patented an idea similar to yours before contacting us. Industrial Design Society of America (IDSA) 45195 Business Court, Ste 250,Dulles, VA 20166. Their phone number and e-mail, respectively, is: (703) 707-6000 & idsa@idsa.org. We include information on IDSA here because almost all the consumer products you use have been designed either by in-house industrial designers or consulting design firms like ours. The fact is, there's a good chance you may need to put together a professional quality graphic presentation or prototype model of your concept somewhere down the road. Although we can help you do this, you may choose to have it done by another design firm, and that's okay with us. IDSA cross references its members by name and by the product categories they specialize in. When the time comes, this information will be helpful to you. (Please keep in mind, however, before you spend your hard earned money, to have a professional in the industry evaluate your concept's licensing potential. This is not only an important thing to do before spending money on graphic presentations and models, we also feel it's important to do before you spend thousands of dollars on potentially useless patents.) You Invent It If you have an invention or an idea and need to know what to do next, The Law Office of Steven B. Leavitt, L.L.P. may be able to help you. It is an Intellectual Property Law boutique offering FREE analysis on obtaining patent, trademark and copyright protection for independent inventors and small businesses. Attorney Steven Leavitt also hosts a radio show entitled "You Invent It...We Protect It" on Thursdays at 10 AM EST/9C. Listen to the show live through the website or download a recording of archived shows. Business-Inc.Net A Web Directory |