Question: If you had an idea

[beagleboy]

If you had an idea on improving a hunting item or introducing a new item, how would you go about it and who would you contact? How would you trust that person or business with your idea?

[stevebeilgard]

if it's improving an item, i'd contact the original manufacturer and tell him that you have an idea on how to improve his product. don't tell him your idea, of course. then, get in writing what they will give you IF, AND ONLY IF, they use your idea or any variation of it. if it's a new idea but similar to others, get ahold of the others with the same thinking as above. just do not tell them what your idea is until you have in writing from them what they will do for you.

now, as for payment. instead of demanding lots of dollars up front, perhaps consider a 1% royalty on each one sold. if we're talking the possibility of lots of dollars, you'd better get an atorney on your side.

[beagleboy]

Sounds great Steve. Thank you.

[BowJoe]

Definitely get an attorney and inform him/her of your idea and be specific. You will have to do a drawing with exact measurements. You are better off if you can get somebody with CAD experience that is a trusted friend or someone you pay to design your idea on paper. Preferably you should pay this person and give them a receipt and sign an intellectual rights contract so they can't copy your idea and market it as theirs. (Make sure they sign the contract first or you may want to get a public notary to witness the signing) Request a meeting with them and have your attorney present when you submit the documents if they are interested. You will pay out some money if you are improving on their idea just to get a meeting but it will cost you for a prototype if the idea is your own. You have to be really careful that you don't infringe on the intellectual rights of another company as well. They may have a version of their product patent protected that you don't even know about. Check with the patent's office anyway since you will still need to submit exact drawings and uses of your product. You will need an attorney for the language of the description of the product and it's functions as well. I remember a lawsuit I found while googling something a few years ago. It was between Primos and (I think) Hunter's Specialties. It was the diaphragm of a mouth call. Pretty specific and man was it ugly. I read the courtroom transcript too. Just remember that their is no such thing as overly cautious when it comes to the court system.

[Tominator]

Ohiobucks and I came up with a market winner a few years ago, but neither of us has the guts to make it happen.

But it would work, LOL!