Patent Nonsense: Naive Inventors Fall For Optimistic Pitches Some Marketers Make --- Firms Often Praise the Idea, Get Paid, Then Do Little To Get It Manufactured --- Building a Better Golf Tee

As Innovation Center saw it, what Mr. Weber needed next was the right marketing help -- which it could provide. The unemployed machinist and inventor cashed in his burial-insurance policy and borrowed from family friends to raise the $8,600 sign-up fee. Mr. Weber, 35 years old, says Innovation Cente...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Wall Street journal. Eastern edition
Main Author By Brent Bowers and John R. Emshwiller
Format Newspaper Article
LanguageEnglish
Published New York, N.Y Dow Jones & Company Inc 11.09.1991
EditionEastern edition
Subjects
Consent decrees
Innovations
Insurance policies
Inventions
Inventors
Investigations
Manufacturers
Marketing
Royalties
Success
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:As Innovation Center saw it, what Mr. Weber needed next was the right marketing help -- which it could provide. The unemployed machinist and inventor cashed in his burial-insurance policy and borrowed from family friends to raise the $8,600 sign-up fee. Mr. Weber, 35 years old, says Innovation Center has yet to find a buyer for his idea. One manufacturer the company contacted turned out to be a maker of concrete garbage cans that had no interest in golf-teeing machines, says Mr. Weber. In written responses to questions from this newspaper, Innovation Center said, "We are confident we have provided every service timely and professionally" to Mr. Weber. It said Mr. Weber knew the company didn't guarantee success in marketing his invention and added that Innovation Center has many happy customers and is a "well-respected member" of the invention-marketing industry.
ISSN:0099-9660