Step 3: The company then usually requests a fee of anywhere from $6,000 to $18,000, for which they promise to:

a. File a patent application. Unfortunately, most of these companies only file design patent applications, which are generally not appropriate for most inventions or, worse, only a Provisional Application or Disclosure Document. The latest scam is to file a "picture patent" - a utility patent, but so narrow that it is essentially worthless.

b. Display your invention at trade shows. Usually, these are "trade shows of invention marketers," and you can imagine how little use that is. The only people who will attend are other invention marketing firms and sometimes other hopeful inventors.

c. Include your invention in a brochure sent to manufacturers, or to produce flyers and/or videos. Usually, the brochure is a mishmash of assorted inventions whose inventors have paid the company, and is sent to all sorts of unrelated manufacturers. Most manufacturers tend to simply throw these away without looking at them.

In addition to the substantial up-front fees, these invention marketing firms quote a sliding scale of royalties, with the royalty percentage based on the up-front fee (pay more up front, they take less in royalties). They can afford to be generous in these royalty rates. Although these usually look like a good deal to the inventor, in fact they are irrelevant - the company makes its money from the up-front fees, not from royalties they know will never materialize. 
 

The following is an alphabetical list of invention marketing companies which reportedly have been the subject of legal action or against whom complaints have been filed in the USPTO.

American Group for Innovation and Technology, Inc., Washington, DC
American Idea Management, Stoneham, MA
American Institute for Research and Development, Westfield, MA
American Invention Associates, Inc. Miami, FL
American Inventors Corporation (AIC), Westfield, MA
American Patent Research Corporation, Washington, DC
Azure Communications, Inc., Reston, Virginia
Concept Network, The, Wexford, Pennsylvania
Continental Ventures, Inc., New Orleans, LA
Davison & Associates, Inc., Oakmont and Indianola, Pennsylvania
Edge Concepts, Green Tree, PA
Eureka Solutions International, Inc., Monroeville, PA
Global Development Services, Inc., Manassas, VA and Madison, WI
Global Patent Research Services, Inc., Virginia
Idea Management & Patent Assistance Corp., Stoneham, MA
Innovation Center, Washington, DC
International Licensing Corporation, Inc., Reston, Virginia
International Innovation Group (IIG), CA
International Inventors Incorporated, East, PA
International Inventor's Club, Green Tree, PA
International Product Design, Inc., Washington, DC
International Technology Exchange (ITE), Dublin, Ireland
Invention Consultants, USA, Inc., Philadelphia, PA
Invention Marketing, Inc., Pittsburgh, PA
Invention Submission Corporation (ISC). Offices in U.S. & Canada
London Communications, Inc., Reston, Virginia
National Idea Center, Inc., Washington, DC
National Idea Network, Inc., Indiana and Pennsylvania
National Invention Services, Inc. (NISI), Cranford, New Jersey
New Products of America, Inc., Atlanta, Georgia
OEM Communications, Monroeville, Pennsylvania
Patent Assistance Corporation, MA
Technology Licensing Consultants Inc., Pittsburgh, PA
Washington Financial Group, Florida and Connecticut