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The fees for the invention help are fair, but a little steep. Most firms do not say how much they are until you have invested time in talking with them. ..I'd like to know if all of the fees are due at once. If not, it would help the low-income inventor a great deal.
Thank you for your time.
Rickey

Submitted: 90 days and 18 hours ago.

Category: Legal

Value: $18

Status: AWAITING CUSTOMER ACTION

State/Country relating to Question: Texas

Already Tried:
I have spent three days searching for an opposing patent , without any hits. I have also been on the phone with your competitors. Most want to know all about my idea before they will render at least a ball-park figure on their services . This seems rather dubious to me. It is like a department store that does not price their goods, and you must wait until you are in the checkouts to find out the cost of your choices.

Accepted Answer

Hi Ltl Willi:

Just Answer does not offer direct help to inventors, nor are we a traditional legal services company. At this site, you can ask a question regarding any legal situation that you might be in and we will answer the question and hopefully provide some initial guidance for your situation.

That being said, many of these so-called "invention" firms that are advertised out there are scams. A few of them have been sued by various states for taking fees and not delivering any services. They simply take your idea, run a patent search, and whether it is a good idea or not, they offer to patent and market the "product" for fees ranging in the neighborhood of $10,000. If you are seriously considering using one of these firms, you should check out their reputation with the better business bureau and the attorney general's office in Texas before investing money in them.

Regarding the fees of individual lawyers providing patent and invention help -- they charge by the hour to research the patent and do the filing of the patent -- they usually offer no opinions regarding whether or not it will be succesful -- that end of it is up to the individual inventor after the patent is issued. This method of patent assistance is the traditional method, however, and you will not get taken for a ride with promises of getting your product out to market, etc., etc.

Good Luck.

PLEASE PRESS ACCEPT AFTER YOU HAVE READ MY ANSWER SO THAT I WILL RECEIVE CREDIT FOR MY TIME. A BONUS & FEEDBACK ARE ALWAYS APPRECIATED. THANK YOU FOR USING JUST ANSWER.

Accepts:
Expert:	Mary Meaden Esq
Pos. Feedback:	99.6 %
Answered:	8/23/2009

Attorney

12 years experience in general law: RE, Consumer Prot., Family, Wills & Estates, Emplymnt, Crim Law

90 days and 9 hours ago.

Reply

As long as I am helped by Mary, you cannot help me better. She tells it straight-up, without painting the whole canvas gray. She may not always tell you what to hear. She has this affectation for a rarely seen course of action nowadays. It is called the truth, and it is not always sweet. I'd much rather take truth--good or bad---, than be coddled into a false sense of success,
Keep it up, M'Lady
With all respects,
Rick ey W.

Posted by Mary Meaden Esq 90 days and 9 hours ago.

Answer

You are welcome. If you want to request me in the future, write "For Mary Meaden" before you write your question and the other legal experts will direct your question to me. Thanks

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