Invention Promoter's Name: Invention Submission Corporation

Complainant's Name: Deborah Downs

Response:

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Inventor's Assistance Program
P.O. Box 2327
Arlington, VA. 22202

Dear Sir or Madam:

Invention Submission Corporation (ISC) agreed to aid Deborah Downs in submitting her invention (an improved trailer hitch) to industry in an attempt to obtain a good faith review.  You should know that ISC did everything it agreed to do and Mrs. Downs repeatedly expressed her full and complete satisfaction with the submission materials prepared by ISC in conjunction with the submission process.  As a result of ISC’s efforts, a manufacturer of boat trailering products has recently expressed interest in Mrs. Downs’ invention.

We question Mrs. Downs’ motives and truthfulness.  We know from e-mail provided to us that, although she denies it, Mrs. Downs had contact with a former Washington sales representative who has orchestrated a fraudulent refund scheme against ISC.  We know that Mrs. Downs is not being candid when she states, “I just want my money back.”  Although she has accepted the benefit of ISC’s services and only made partial payment for those services, her latest demand was for tens of thousands of dollars.

We take seriously any allegation that a sales representative has misled a client.  However, we have found nothing, which would indicate that Mrs. Downs was misled as she claims.  Mrs. Downs specifically told ISC that no one expressed an opinion or made a statement about the future success of her invention and that no one stated or implied a sense of urgency that she should get started immediately.  Mrs. Downs also stated that her decision regarding ISC’s patent referral services was her own.  Were all of her representations to ISC lies or is the change in her story reflective of changed motives?

Very truly yours,

/s/Nora H. Miller
Compliance Director

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