Consider this post from a disgruntled Inventor he sent to a invention company that prompted me to write the article below.
“You claim you don’t steal people’s ideas? I did research my idea and it had NEVER been done before I submitted it to you lying thieves! No sooner
did my idea stall in the selection process, than the FBI announces their new app for missing children. THAT WAS MY IDEA!!! I submitted that. It
was almost word for word my idea, about Amber alerts, and locating missing children, posting alerts on local computers, law enforcement notification, etc…almost WORD FOR WORD!!! You stole my idea and you can deny it all you want. I wouldn’t have been so mad if it showed up a few years later,or even a year later, but not even 3 months after I submitted it to you, all of the sudden, the FBI suddenly has a new app for missing children!!! Coincidence? I dont’ think so! You stole my idea and you sold it. I hope you choke! You lying thieving good for nothing criminal! It will come back on you. Mark my words, Karma is a _itch and she takes prisoners. I hope you get what you have coming to you, because you are nothing but a liar. I want my money back that I PAID you to steal my idea! Give me back that $25! That’s the
least you can do, you sniveling thief!!”
My article
Everyone likes to think they are the only person on the planet with their million dollar idea, but the reality is that may not be true. In fact, there could be hundreds of people thinking along the same lines as you are right now. To put things into perspective, consider how many times you have walked into a store or watched TV and seen a similar idea you had months or years ago now on the market.
Did that person, whom you have never met, creep into your house while you were asleep and using alien technology pull it from your mind? No. Is it possible that your trusted friend shared your idea? Likely not. Rather, it is very possible that someone had the same idea you did, and actually did something with it.
Inventors and entrepreneurs need to realize that if you have an idea, it is almost a certainty someone else has had or is having that same idea. The question is which one of you is going to do something with it? Before you get started, you should do everything you can for free to confirm that someone else hasn’t already acted on the same idea and it isn’t already on the market. Many Inventors spend money on patent searches before they even make an attempt to find what is already out there. Market validation and patent research are simple ways to help determine whether or not an idea is unique and worth pursuing, you can do a lot of this research without spending any money just your time.
First, use a search engine to look for similar products. Search for different variations of the product title, function and benefit to ensure you’re considering not only products that look the same, but also fulfill the same need. Do image searches. Go to stores that you feel would carry this type of product and see what is out there. In many cases it can help you see if your idea is unique and marketable and can spark different ideas you may not have considered.
Next, conduct a patent search yourself. Google Patents is a search engine that indexes all patents and patent applications from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) dating back to 1790. Google Patents can give insight as to what already exists in the space and what about your idea, if any, is patentable. Check out the Claims section of any patent you find similar to help you see if your idea has already been claimed in a patent even if it has not been utilized in a product. Many Inventors don’t realize you don’t have to use everything in your issued patent to make a marketable product.
These simple tasks can help confirm whether or not someone else has had the same great idea or if there is even a need in the market. Conducting research early on in this process can help you save time and money in the long run.
Ultimately, a conceptual idea locked inside your head has no value. As Thomas Edison once said, “the value of an Idea lies in the using in it,” and I couldn’t agree more. If you have an idea, do your research for free first. Stop spending money making everyone else rich on things you can do yourself.