The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1897-04-29
PATENT SHARKS.
Inventors Should Look out for Agents
who Offer to Sell Patents.

in the city by robbing people in the
country. With the approval of the
editor | propose to explain some Of
these robbing schemes, and perhaps
help some readers to make money by
savingit.
One reason why city swindlers are SO
thrifty is because those who have been
duped by them are ashamed to expose
their own simplicity in being taken
in.n and also because the exposure
involves trouble and expense.
The head OF Il notorious patent con-
Germ in Washington has been heard to
remark that sucker is born every
minute, and that he looks upon the
inventor us his particular prey. There
are on an average Of about 425 patents
granted each week and the name and
address Of every patentee is published
in the Patent Office Gazette This
! gives the patent sharks in Washington
New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Gin
cnnati AMI in other cities and western
towns, access to the ear Of the invent
or They send him circulars so cun-
uingly prepared that he thinks they
have been written expressly to him
and they confirm his opinion that he
has fortune in his patent. Their
proposition is to sell the patent on
commission, usually TO per cent, but
the inveht0r must advance from So to
500 for advertising. If the inventor is
green and gullibIe, he will send them
money, which he would better burn,
but if he is sensible, he will burn their
circulars These people never sell
patents, never even try to sell them,
and whether they g strike" YOU for s.
or $50, the bulk of the money will go
! into their pockets. Some Of them may
pretend to try to sell the patent in
order that if you bring suit against
them they may defeat you by showing
an advertisement, but do not be de-
ceiyed by their pretence that they wish
to work for commission. TO unmask
their game, offer them instead ot the
money in advance, that you will
double, triple, quadruple their COM
mission, or even give them ninety nine
dollars in hundred, and see how
quickly they will let YOU alone This
will prove to you cOnclusively that
these people have no intention, means,
or prospect OF selling your patent, but
are after the tee in advance only.
do not believe that there are any hon
est patent sale agents, no matter what
they publish, claim and swear. The
men who 90 into that business must 60
into it to deceive and get money on
false pretense Patents are not sold
by agents, or in that way The large
majority Of inventions that are sold are
disposed Of to neighbors, friends, part
ners or backers of the inventor before
patent is granted or while application
for patent is pending. Then after the
grant Of patent the inventor and his
as8ignees sell by territory or form com
panies to manufacture or sell on roy
atty. But the large majority of pat
entS granted never bring anything to
the inventor or owner, but are like the
larger half of all human ventures
failures.
Another scheme is to urge the
American patentee to get European
patents, and there is one western firm
that prelends to bear one half the eX-
pense OF $40 for procuring a German
design patent or GebrauchsmusIer
provided they can have the privilege
of selling the foreign patent, claiming
to have unequaled facilities for selling.
The suggestion of sale is only a bait.
What they call half expense or $50 is
four times as much as the German
GeDrauchsmuster costs, and nine times
in ten it is not worth a cent, for they
will never sell it; or think about it
after they get the 500.
Do not be deceived with the refer
ences that these people give. They
will refer YOU to the commercial agen-
cies, Dun and Bradstreet but these
agencies only affirm that they have a
commercial rating, that they have
money, they do not tell that they got
it by the deception which they are
practlcng on you. Many men With
good commercial rating ought to be in
the States prison. Do not be deceived
by their references to distinguished
men senators and members of con-
gress. 1t is we'll known that some
senators and congressman in Washing
ton will sign almost any paper that is
brought them provided it is not sub
scription list or a check.
The number of patents granted in
the United States alone numbered on
April Ii, 58O,S37. All that were
granted seventeen years ago have ex-
PRED and become public property
Not even the catacombs of ancient cit
tiles afford a more suggestive lesson to
the moralist than the archives of the
| United States patent Office, for here are
/ buried the widest hopes and struggles