Invention Submission Corp. has agreed to a $3 million class action lawsuit settlement with those who purchased services from InventHelp or Western InventHelp and claim the company misrepresented those services.
The class is made up of all U.S. residents who purchased services from Submission Corp. (doing business as InventHelp), or Western Invention Submission Corp. (doing business as Western InventHelp), from Jan. 1, 2014, to June 30, 2021.
InventHelp, headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been helping inventors submit invention ideas to companies since 1984, according to the company’s website.
However, the plaintiffs in three class action lawsuits claim InventHelp has not always provided the promised services.
The defendants submit their clients’ inventions or product ideas, in exchange for a fee, to obtain a review to see if those ideas or inventions can be commercialized, one of the class actions states. However, the firms also allegedly fail to disclose they do not have any “reasonable and systematic” procedures in place to ensure their data bank does not include companies that are no longer in operation and do not actually match their clients to companies most likely to be interested in a given idea.
In addition, the defendants allegedly do not provide disclosures as mandated under the American Investors Protection Act of 1999.
The defendants have denied allegations of wrongdoing but have agreed to the settlement to avoid the risks and costs associated with continuing litigation.
Under the terms of the InventHelp class action lawsuit settlement agreement, class members who file a claim are eligible to receive a cash payment.
Class members who submit a claim will receive a pro rata payment of up to $250 from the net settlement fund.
Fully paid BIP Agreement Customers who submit a valid and timely claim form will receive an additional $20.
Each not-fully-paid BIP Agreement Customer who submits a claim will receive a $20 credit, in addition to payment from the settlement fund, against any outstanding balance owed. The credit will cancel the debt if the balance is less than $20.
SUB Agreement Customers Not Fully Paid and Open who submit a claim form will receive an $800 credit or $3,000 in services in addition to their payment from the settlement fund for any outstanding balance owed to the defendants. If the unpaid balance is less than $800, the credit will cancel the entire remaining debt.
Among the $3,000 in services is the inclusion of class members’ ideas or inventions in the Virtual Invention Browsing Experience (VIBE) at either the 2023 or 2024 national licensing show. The idea or invention will also be included in a curated catalog InventHelp will distribute to about 50 companies in its data bank within a year of the settlement becoming final.
The deadline to opt out of or object to the InventHelp lawsuit settlement is Jan. 6, 2023.
The final approval hearing is scheduled for Feb. 1, 2023.
Claim forms must be submitted no later than Jan. 6, 2023.
