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Just another con

Postby Roger Brown » Fri Jan 19, 2007 5:10 am

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I contacted Petmate/ Doskocil Mfg because I was told they were Inventor friendly. Little did I know how friendly they were until I asked for a nondisclosure from them. They are so friendly they are willing to take your idea off your hands and keep it for themselves without compensating you one nickel. Read the letter below and beware this company unless you are in a generous giving mood.

Roger
http://www.rogerbrown.net

Dear Mr. Brown:

Thank you for contacting Doskocil Mfg. with your new product idea. We welcome new product innovations and are pleased that you have chosen to share your idea with us.
We have a standard process for managing new product ideas submitted by anyone not employed by Doskocil Mfg. This process states that all product ideas must be accompanied by our standard non-confidential disclosure agreement form signed by all parties significantly involved in the idea, before Doskocil can review any information.
By returning this form, you indicate that you agree to allow Doskocil Mfg Co, (Doskocil), Petmate, and or DoskoSport the right to use your idea in any way it sees fit.
Doskocil values your ideas and welcomes your feedback. Please note, however, that Doskocil does not solicit or pay for your creative ideas. If you choose to send us feedback, you acknowledge and agree that you do so voluntarily and that no contract or confidential relationship beyond the scope of the attached form is thereby created. Please read the enclosed non-confidential disclosure agreement and if you understand and accept the terms, sign & return it along with any documentation on your idea. Doskocil is not responsible for the return of any materials submitted.
You agree that you did not get the material from another person and are free to provide it to us. You also agree that Doskocil’s review of your material does not mean that it is unique or original and that Doskocil may independently have created or create in the future something substantially similar or identical to your submission, with no liability or obligation to you. The content of your submission will become and remain the sole property of Doskocil, and we shall be entitled to unrestricted use of your material for any purpose whatsoever, without compensation to you.
Once we have received the signed non-confidential disclosure agreement and your documentation, we will put your idea into our review process.
Again, thank you for contacting Doskocil Mfg. with your new product idea.
Sincerely,
New Product Submissions Group

Postby Michelle » Fri Jan 19, 2007 8:56 am

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Thanks Roger for sharing this with everyone.

This is what we all need to do, post your bad experiences so that others fellow inventors can be saved the pain of working with bad companies.


Michelle

Inventor Publishing and Research

Postby Michelle » Sat Apr 07, 2007 4:02 am

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An inventor suggested that this information be made available to our inventors. It is posted by InventoGuard at an invention forum asking about Inventor Publishing and Research.

I do not know if any of this is accurate or reflects reality in any way. If anyone has had a different experience, please share them so that we can get a more accurate view on them. Like with all things published, an inventor should do their own diligence before dealing with a company.

Here's the posting as published at InventNet.com:

* * * * * *

To all of you who are interested in the marketing company, Inventor Publishing and Research (IP&R). This will take some time because I am an insider and very familiar with the business practices of IP&R and their executive officers.

Thanks to InventNet, I have read some tragic stories from ex-IP&R employees and inventors who were sadly taken in by a sophisticated, cleverly crafted sales "script" and a high pressure, get the check at all cost tactics, commissioned sales person. First of all, the sales people are paid a very low salary to stay compliant with California State Labor Laws. The brass ring is the high commissions paid out on new accounts. IP&R has approximately 20 sales people (see their web site). They are all VP's or Directors of Sales? Sales people are required to open a minimum of 5 new accounts per month to keep their job. They only get commissions on the 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, & 12th new account per month. Each month the cycle starts over.

The commission paid these scumbags is generally 20% of your money. IP&R keeps the commission on the first five accounts of each sales person or approximately 100 new accounts a month. If as an inventor you think you're getting ripped off just think about the morals of a company that rips off their own employees? If they are willing to lie and cheat their own employees the inventor doesn't stand a chance.

In contrast to 20 sales people they only have 7-10 marketing people. Most marketing people or Product Marketing Managers (PMM) as they are called has tenure of less than three months. The reason PMM's leave so quickly is because they have one of the worst jobs in America. The difference between what the sales person promises compared to actual services the market people provide is enormous.

The sales person, using a cleverly crafted, high pressure, sales script with embellished, fabricated false promises lures the naive inventor into believing this company is the best because they have licensed so many products. In reality, nearly every product, claimed to be licensed by IP&R is a sham. Meaning that the company will set up the licensing efforts just so they have something to put on their web site that makes it look like they are making clients money and licensing product.

Two Important issues;

If sales people have to bring in 5 new accounts per month and there are 20 sales people then that means that the company is bringing in 100 new products per month. The average inventor pays IP&R $15,000-20,000. The company brings in $1.5-$2 million dollars a month in revenue.

How does 7-10 demoralized PMM manage 10 new accounts per month? They don't! The answer is JUNK MAIL!!!! They make the inventor a one page brochure that is generally amateurish and they mail it out to a few companies and wait for the phone to ring. If no one calls their job is almost complete. PMM often call clients once a week or a few times a month to give them an update. They try and make it sound like some good things are in the works but they know they are lying.

This is why employees with integrity don't last more than a few months. Now double this equation the second month. Now the PMM is working on 20 new products, the third month 30 new products and on and on and finally the PMM resigns and seeks immediate medical attention or a new job.

Secondly, licensing? On their web site they list approximately 70 products they have licensed over the past 10 years. Almost NONE of these inventors have EVER been paid a royalty. How do I know? Just ask the inventors. Many of them will tell you they have never been paid a dime.

Moving on, assuming IP & R brings in 75-150 new accounts per month do the math. In one year they bring in 900-1,800 new products. Let’s call it 1,000, easy math. 1,000 products times 10 years is 10,000 new products. If you divide 70 licensed products by the 10,000 new account total they have a closing percentage of .007% while the industry average is 1.5%. It gets worst! They have paid a guy named Josh (no longer with the company) to set up a number of phony manufacturing companies (10-15).

The purpose of the sham is to make prospective inventors think they have a company interested in licensing their product. The company is called IMAK Product Corporation or some other company out of San Diego; CA. IMAK is affiliated with Internal Innovation Group. This shell organization is now run by Kristle Rose. If an inventor has not sent IP&R any money after numerous sales pitches then Kristle is notified and she sends the inventor a “letter of interestâ€

Postby bottleslingguy » Sat Apr 07, 2007 6:09 am

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Scary. :evil:

Postby Road Show » Sat Apr 07, 2007 6:42 am

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Typical "Boiler Room" ethics. Inventor: proceed at your own risk.

:shock:

RSG

weird

Postby Roger Brown » Mon Apr 16, 2007 4:09 am

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It seems that Dow Chemical has a lock on every invention ever though of since the being of time. They have to be the most arrogant company on the planet. I contacted them about submitting inventions. the person I spoke with stated that they have their own research and development staff and they were sure "Anything I could have thought of she was sure they had already conceived"
Then a week later I get a pamphlet from them giving you two options.

A- You already have your invention patented and made and you want them to be your distributer. ( If I was that far along why would I need them?)

B- You are freely giving your idea to them and no longer have any rights to that idea. You will get no compensation from the company and they appreciate your gift. ( I bet they do!)

Are they nuts or what!? I wouldn't deal with them under any circumstances.
Come visit my sites at http://www.RogerBrown.net
or http://www.looking2license.com
I have gotten 9 products licensed spending less than $100 on each, you can too.

Postby Road Show » Mon Apr 16, 2007 7:25 am

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Arrogance also prevented Coca Cola from purchasing Pepsi Cola once upon a time. I have a feeling this gal with whom you spoke is not too bright.

RSG

Postby Average Inventor » Mon Apr 16, 2007 9:27 am

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I ran into this when trying to license an idea with Apple Computer :( They don't accept any outside ideas but they are happy to take your idea for free. I was really surprised that such a forward thinking company has such backward policies about outside invention submissions.

submissions

Postby Roger Brown » Mon Apr 16, 2007 11:39 am

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I agree. You would think as much as Apple and some of the other big companies promote themselves as out of box thinkers they sure have a narrow vision when it comes to Inventors.
Come visit my sites at http://www.RogerBrown.net
or http://www.looking2license.com
I have gotten 9 products licensed spending less than $100 on each, you can too.

how the outside ideas really get to a co like HP or Apple...

Postby renebruce » Tue Jun 12, 2007 6:10 pm

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Hey all,

OK so here's the story.. It's called they hire a design firm ! Pretty simple they work with people that have gone to design school and these design firms have an entire crew under one roof ( graphics, tons of researchers, patent attorney's, and the list is long), my partner on a product I invented and is just hitting the marke is CFO for one of these and they have inventions all the time and these go to Sony, Dell etc... they all take outside ideas, you just have to be in the correct channel to be able to play ball !


Just take your own ideas and work them yourselves, I've put up my house and spent endless amounts of time and $$ from my own pocket, lots of people want to think they will invent some new product and someone from some fortune 500 Co. will just stop in and give them 10mil. it's not gonna happen. Case in Point the crocs guy, he came up with that yrs ago, they were meant to be gardening shoes (he couldn't give them away, but hey 2yrs ago it finally hit when he found a new angle)... also a product that I was asked to rep over 12yrs ago called heeley's, I thought it was a bad idea from the get go, but 10yrs later kids bought into it, problem now, kids are getting hurt so the parents are suing and trying to shut it down... Timing is everything, Don't forget it !

Just keep the ideas going and don't expect to make a cent, let alone come out with the next 100mil idea.. ( yes it does happen, rarely)


Rene

:wink:

ps. fire/sue that patent attorney and get a new one - he's a joke- btw
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