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Application and Eligibility
by jaws » Sat Feb 03, 2007 12:33 pm
- jaws
- White Belt
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- Joined: Sat Feb 03, 2007 12:21 pm
FYI- Application and eligibility requirements are available on AI now. Read carefully page three paragraph 12 before you get in line. Can anyone tell me that yours or my product will be safe? Very concerned!
Jaws
Jaws
by 5rocks » Sat Feb 03, 2007 2:02 pm
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5rocks - Green Belt
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- Location: milwaukee
Jaws,
I can understand your question about the product being safe. We were concerned as well last year. This does not mean that Fremantle, ABC, Peter Jones, etc. is going to steal your idea. There were thousands of ideas brought to season #1. American Inventor is in the business of entertainment, but also the show is about bringing products to market as a team with the inventor. The clause in paragraph #12 is simply to protect them from legal action in general, not to steal someone's idea. Remember, the best thing to do before going on this show or publicly disclosing any invention is to get the patent process rolling. I urge anybody bringing a product to the show to realize that anyone in America can copy it if you do not protect it first. It can be a gamble, but that is what we face as inventors every day. I hope this helps jaws. Does your product have any protection at this point? If not, and ABC sends you on to the show, they will probably help to get the patent going because it also ultimately protects you and them. I hope this helps. Good luck on the show.
Pat Rock
www.thetakeaseat.com
I can understand your question about the product being safe. We were concerned as well last year. This does not mean that Fremantle, ABC, Peter Jones, etc. is going to steal your idea. There were thousands of ideas brought to season #1. American Inventor is in the business of entertainment, but also the show is about bringing products to market as a team with the inventor. The clause in paragraph #12 is simply to protect them from legal action in general, not to steal someone's idea. Remember, the best thing to do before going on this show or publicly disclosing any invention is to get the patent process rolling. I urge anybody bringing a product to the show to realize that anyone in America can copy it if you do not protect it first. It can be a gamble, but that is what we face as inventors every day. I hope this helps jaws. Does your product have any protection at this point? If not, and ABC sends you on to the show, they will probably help to get the patent going because it also ultimately protects you and them. I hope this helps. Good luck on the show.
Pat Rock
www.thetakeaseat.com
feeling a little better & story for my skepticism
by jaws » Sat Feb 03, 2007 3:50 pm
- jaws
- White Belt
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Sat Feb 03, 2007 12:21 pm
I have a design patent and I am trademarked as well. I have done a search through my patent attorney and he has reported that its very possible I would receive a utility patent for my product which would in affect cover my basic other three ideas that are in the same category.
I'm very skeptical these days because I spent a good bit of money to get my product to a point where I had the option of signing a licensing agreement. I had several options and made a bad choice. I soon realized I had made a mistake when they blatantly broke the contract in multiple ways. I was patient for many months and to make a very long story short they stepped on the little man. After a two year ordeal I was able to come up with the money, after nearly losing everything I own, to end the contract. I have one more obstacle in the way other than the paragraph that started this whole subject which I will have out of the way soon. There has been some manufacturing and distribution of my product but not a real significant quantity, which I know from the Eligibility that is actually a second obstacle come to think of it if I decide to audition.
This sounds more like a venting session for me but I hope it is taken well. I have really grown from the whole experience and I have no doubt that my product will be branded soon in some way. I may have some sound advice to some of you out there if you take a different route other than AI. I personally took my idea to a patent attorney, learned the difference between a design patent and a utility patent the hard way because I didn't ask enough question of my attorney and he did not give the best explanation either. I drew my own drawings, took them to a mold maker, had a mold made, started ordering other items I needed, with my wife and others who we paid designed packaging, assemble our products, made video footage, hit the streets with our product, advertise in publications, went to trade shows and other shows, worked 12 to 16 hour days including driving, camped in my truck at various state parks across the country, counting dollars along the way exercising faith that we would make enough money to get us to the next show while hoping to brand our product as fast as we could. After five months of grinding we won our first editors choice award in a national magazine. In our sixth month won our second award with another national magazine. Shortly after that when we were getting some recognition we then had some manufacturers interested in our product. Feeling that I'd better sign with someone and money dried up, we did. After all our hard work and the paying of dues, I thought we made it. We had a carrot dangled in front of us for nearly two years, saw our product manufactured incorrectly, ignored, lied to, etc.. It was some of the worst feelings I've ever had. To shorten this up the best I can, I had a ray of hope and super excitement when the AI came out. Here's my chance to get some redemption. I'm hoping that Page 3 paragraph 12 is not a knife. I truly want to be on the show because I feel I have a great chance of making it to the finals if I get the chance and I hope that AI is the key to Branding my product and protecting my inspired idea. I wish all of you out there w/great ideas the very best and hope you don't get stepped on along the way because there is much deceit out there that you will have to wade through. Hopefully for all of us this is the show that will give us all the muscle we will ever need. I truly think this could be as big as any reality show if they give it the legs it needs and do it with integrity. Enough rambling. Can anyone else ease my mind on Paragraph 12?
Thanks for listening,
JAWS
I'm very skeptical these days because I spent a good bit of money to get my product to a point where I had the option of signing a licensing agreement. I had several options and made a bad choice. I soon realized I had made a mistake when they blatantly broke the contract in multiple ways. I was patient for many months and to make a very long story short they stepped on the little man. After a two year ordeal I was able to come up with the money, after nearly losing everything I own, to end the contract. I have one more obstacle in the way other than the paragraph that started this whole subject which I will have out of the way soon. There has been some manufacturing and distribution of my product but not a real significant quantity, which I know from the Eligibility that is actually a second obstacle come to think of it if I decide to audition.
This sounds more like a venting session for me but I hope it is taken well. I have really grown from the whole experience and I have no doubt that my product will be branded soon in some way. I may have some sound advice to some of you out there if you take a different route other than AI. I personally took my idea to a patent attorney, learned the difference between a design patent and a utility patent the hard way because I didn't ask enough question of my attorney and he did not give the best explanation either. I drew my own drawings, took them to a mold maker, had a mold made, started ordering other items I needed, with my wife and others who we paid designed packaging, assemble our products, made video footage, hit the streets with our product, advertise in publications, went to trade shows and other shows, worked 12 to 16 hour days including driving, camped in my truck at various state parks across the country, counting dollars along the way exercising faith that we would make enough money to get us to the next show while hoping to brand our product as fast as we could. After five months of grinding we won our first editors choice award in a national magazine. In our sixth month won our second award with another national magazine. Shortly after that when we were getting some recognition we then had some manufacturers interested in our product. Feeling that I'd better sign with someone and money dried up, we did. After all our hard work and the paying of dues, I thought we made it. We had a carrot dangled in front of us for nearly two years, saw our product manufactured incorrectly, ignored, lied to, etc.. It was some of the worst feelings I've ever had. To shorten this up the best I can, I had a ray of hope and super excitement when the AI came out. Here's my chance to get some redemption. I'm hoping that Page 3 paragraph 12 is not a knife. I truly want to be on the show because I feel I have a great chance of making it to the finals if I get the chance and I hope that AI is the key to Branding my product and protecting my inspired idea. I wish all of you out there w/great ideas the very best and hope you don't get stepped on along the way because there is much deceit out there that you will have to wade through. Hopefully for all of us this is the show that will give us all the muscle we will ever need. I truly think this could be as big as any reality show if they give it the legs it needs and do it with integrity. Enough rambling. Can anyone else ease my mind on Paragraph 12?
Thanks for listening,
JAWS
by 5rocks » Sat Feb 03, 2007 5:18 pm
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5rocks - Green Belt
- Posts: 213
- Joined: Wed Dec 27, 2006 12:36 pm
- Location: milwaukee
jaws,
I am with you on this subject. Time, money, sweat and tears. It took me a long time to trust anybody when it came to our invention. I would not have done the show last year if we had not already had our utility patent. We received it in 2004 so we decided to go for the audition. It is great that you are excited about the show. We only did the show to gain exposure, but everyone needs to remember that it is a show. You are not guaranteed to be shown. We got cut after making it to the top 24. We were barely shown and they didn't even air us getting cut. Weird! You would think that out of 10,000+ inventions that the top 50 for sure would get a lot of air-time. NOT the case. If your product is really special, then give it a shot, but use as much personality as you can or America will not see you or your product as much as you would like. I would suggest reading Jodi Pliszka's blog on the main page. She was in the top 12 with the Headline It! Jodi and I both realized early on that it is much different behind the cameras as to what you see. We are inventors, not actors. If anybody does the show but does not get much airtime, don't be dissappointed as it probably is not because of your product.
Pat
www.thetakeaseat.com
I am with you on this subject. Time, money, sweat and tears. It took me a long time to trust anybody when it came to our invention. I would not have done the show last year if we had not already had our utility patent. We received it in 2004 so we decided to go for the audition. It is great that you are excited about the show. We only did the show to gain exposure, but everyone needs to remember that it is a show. You are not guaranteed to be shown. We got cut after making it to the top 24. We were barely shown and they didn't even air us getting cut. Weird! You would think that out of 10,000+ inventions that the top 50 for sure would get a lot of air-time. NOT the case. If your product is really special, then give it a shot, but use as much personality as you can or America will not see you or your product as much as you would like. I would suggest reading Jodi Pliszka's blog on the main page. She was in the top 12 with the Headline It! Jodi and I both realized early on that it is much different behind the cameras as to what you see. We are inventors, not actors. If anybody does the show but does not get much airtime, don't be dissappointed as it probably is not because of your product.
Pat
www.thetakeaseat.com
by Burgie » Sat Feb 24, 2007 12:20 pm
- Burgie
- White Belt
- Posts: 36
- Joined: Fri Feb 23, 2007 7:13 am
- Location: San Diego
Is anyone else having trouble accessing their PDF agreements?
http://www.americaninventor.tv/files/Ap ... nForms.pdf
all I get is:
PAGE NOT FOUND
We cannot locate the page you're looking for. Please check the address and make sure all letters are lowercased with no spaces. You may also move to a different page by using the links in the menu bar above
NOTE:
Hey JAWS, You have a keen eye for contracts. Look at what I uncovered concerning Bouncing Brains and their percentages. I started a question there that I feel should also be discussed concerning the American Inventor Contract also. I can't access the latest contract so I am unable to read it. Here is a link to my previous line of questioning:
viewtopic.php?p=825#825
http://www.americaninventor.tv/files/Ap ... nForms.pdf
all I get is:
PAGE NOT FOUND
We cannot locate the page you're looking for. Please check the address and make sure all letters are lowercased with no spaces. You may also move to a different page by using the links in the menu bar above
NOTE:
Hey JAWS, You have a keen eye for contracts. Look at what I uncovered concerning Bouncing Brains and their percentages. I started a question there that I feel should also be discussed concerning the American Inventor Contract also. I can't access the latest contract so I am unable to read it. Here is a link to my previous line of questioning:
viewtopic.php?p=825#825
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