-- Let "everyone" learn something about companies that will only look at issued patents: They "HAVE ZERO DESIRE" to license "unproven" products, ideas or inventions. If they did, they would not want to take the chance of a competitor looking at or having the chance to license something before them. - Companies really looking for outside IP do not have this condition in their requirements for submittal.

-- (A side little note) If you have the "right" invention, "any" company will wave the patented first requirement, even the patent pending requirement, before submittal and review. I know, because I have done it with "BLUE Chip "MEGA" companies." I've had them fly me to their home office, (on them), pick me up in a limo at the airport, and they didn't even know what my invention was, or did, prior to me sitting across the table with the CEO, the company President, head of marketing, and engineering, and about 10 lawyers, mine included. No, I didn't get the license, but came damn close though. :: A 1933 patent would have let GE compete with them; not as good as my invention but good enough to compete, which killed them retooling for a cost of 48 million dollars. - Just having to get back into the price alone - separation and competition of the two products - they could not make enough profit to cover the tool up cost on the short term; if they were right back into this type of competition?

-- Companies want to license so that the market determines what they can charge for it, and the % of their profits. What the market will bear, not the price of the competition's products, controlling their prices.

-- Anyone can get to the right company by reverse marketing the IP in this manner. You start at the retailer and ask for a referral up the market chain. This works if you "WOW" them all the way up. The referral is not just a name and phone number, it is the lower person calling the one above him for you; talking to them and then putting you on the phone, or at least telling them they need to "call" you.

-- A company licenses something because they don't want their competitors making it. They don't want their competitors even knowing about it until they have it on the market. - It is true that a few products get licensed to every manufacturer in the market, but these are on products where if you don't license the "new" way, you're going to go out of business.

-- One key to knowing if you might have hit a home run is when you show it to the first company and after they see it they ask, "Have you shown this to anyone else?" (Some ask this question prior to even looking at the IP.) A "yes answer" could give them a bad taste in their mouth from the get go; sometimes you need to lie :-).

-- Now if your invention is truly a HOME run in it's market, and every company knows this when they "first" see it; letting them know their competitors are also looking at it could get a deal fast and a better deal. - As they know: "If they snooze, they lose." -- Rodney Long - rdlong@charter.net

1.         Fall in love with your "brainchild," which makes it difficult to use good judgment decisions and hesitant in it ever leaving home.

2.         Listen and believe too strongly in the encouragement or discouragement of those around you, including family and friends.

3.         Not conduct enough market research. Walking through a store and looking for similar products, is not market research.

4.         Reading and believing all the small ads in the back of Popular Mechanics magazine, targeted to inventors.

5.         Not recognizing the value of a patent and attempting to market or sell a new product without the benefits of intellectual property.

6.         Having too big an ego to admit your own weaknesses, and bringing in the strength and experience of others.

7.         Sending money to invention promotion firms that promise you the world, because you created the greatest idea since sliced bread.

8.         Believing that your idea of invention cannot be improved upon by someone else.

9.         Convincing relatives and others to invest money in your idea before you know you need it, or are in a legal position to accept it.

10.       Did not know how to properly price it for sale, by ignoring all the costs of proper packaging and distribution.