How Much Does InventHelp Cost?
Since 1984 InventHelp has helped inventors across the United States submit their invention idea, with more than 9,000 patent referrals leading to a patent.
Known for their popular television commercials, the company, as of today, has more than 60 regional sales offices located throughout the world.
How much does InventHelp cost?
According to the company’s official FAQ page, they will charge a fee for their submission services, and its sister company, Intromark Incorporated, takes a percentage from any invention that becomes a financial gain in the future, but such gains, as the FAQ notes, can be rare and the company relies on the payment of fees to help perform their services. While the official website does not note the official prices for their services, we were able to find prices via third-party sources online as to what you should be prepared to budget if you were to consider their services.
To start the process, also referred to as the first phase, it appears you have to pay anywhere in the $800 to $1,000 range to start working with the company and this phase will include a nice book with a description of your invention and a notice that your invention is patentable. According to inventorwarning.wordpress.com, most invention help companies, including InventHelp.com, will work this way. After they learn of your idea and you pay the startup fee, they will then push to phase two, regardless of how poor your product may be.
From there, you will be asked to go to the second phase, which, from our research, can start in the low $xx,xxx range, while some people stated they had to pay a monthly payment, broken down to about $250 to $300 a month with a mid $x,xxx down payment to keep the account active. During this phase, the company is said to help market your idea and attempt to get a patent.
One reviewer on a ConsumerAffairs.com reviewer thread, for instance, stated he had to pay $10,000 to start the process plus another $1,000 to perform the patent search, all of which takes up to 15 months to perform. Another said they invest close to $52,000 with the company and was never issued one patent after the process.
In conclusion, it seems it averages $700 to $1,000 to start, with most people spending anywhere from $7,000 to $50,000+ during the process in hopes of a patent. The company and the reviews online do not that nothing is guaranteed and your chances of a patent are said to be 1 in 40 odds. Depending on how long you want to remain active in the company while working on your invention and receiving your patent, your costs can greatly vary.
The New York Times, in its interview, noted the average two-year agreement can cost anywhere from $800 to $10,000 depending upon how detailed the marketing plan. In its interview, only three percent of its clients did receive licensing details from known retailers. This fee would not include the cost of a lawyer if you were to need outside legal help.
On this TheWorkingInventor.com post, he was quoted $199 for the patent search and $746 for the company’s “basic information package” for a total of $945. The second phase was quoted at $10,900.
How InventHelp works
The process seems to be similar for most, but it could vary for some. In a nutshell, here’s what to expect:
During the first meeting, you will first be asked to sign a “Statement of Confidentiality and Non-Use,” which basically states that your invention will not be sold, assigned, disclosed or used by any other person or organization without your permission. Once signed, you will be asked to fill out the form to note that you’re disclosing your invention to InventHelp, followed by a series of questions in relation to your invention. After you fill out the form and explain your invention, the manager at the office will ask about your invention and talk about the patent process.
The second stage of the meeting, which happens at a later date, involves a presentation by the sales manager, in which he or she will explain the costs of the first phase, which often includes the patent search and a basic information package that is a glossy hard bound book that provides basic information about your product. As stated above, this entire first phase will be close to $1,000.
If you do decide to pay the first phase fee, you will then be asked to sign an Affirmative Disclosure Form, which can start at $10,900 to $15,900+ and will include marketing, promotional services and licensing, and this fee will depend on the circumstances of your meeting. The marketing period, which is cloudy according to most online, will get you placed in some catalogs at local trade shows, where the company will market your invention to potential retailers that may be interested in your product.
InventHelp reviews
On its official BBB review page, the company had a total of 23 reviews at the time of this publishing, with 12 positive and 10 negatives. The positive reviewers boasted about the customer service and help provided throughout the entire process, while the negative reviewers seemed to complain about the high costs, unprofessional products and unprofessional customer service. As per many of the review websites we did find online, the reviews seemed to be mixed and would greatly depend on the customer service representative you were working with and how successful your patent could be.
Via the 50+ reviews on Inventhelp.reviews.com, a subsidiary of Pissed Consumer.com, the reviews were also mixed, with a lot of people saying the process was truly “wonderful,” allowing them to take the right steps to ensure their product was patented properly, while, again, like the BBB reviews, many moaned about the price, saying they never saw results in the end.
Tips to know
To learn about the company, you can provide your name and email information to have free information sent to you about the process. The company also has 60 offices located across the world to help set up an in-person discussion.
InventHelp does not offer any legal advice on patents and will encourage its customers to seek legal advice for any questions in regards to the legalities.
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Average Reported Cost: $0
