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This information can help an inventor determine how selective the promoter has been in deciding which inventions it promotes and how successful the promoter has been.
Effective date:  January 28, 2000
35 U.S.C. 297 Improper and deceptive invention promotion.
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(a) IN GENERAL.- An invention promoter shall have a duty to disclose the following information to a customer in writing, prior to entering into a contract for invention promotion services:
(1) the total number of inventions evaluated by the invention promoter for commercial potential in the past 5 years, as well as the number of those inventions that received positive evaluations, and the number of those inventions that received negative evaluations;
(2) the total number of customers who have contracted with the invention promoter in the past 5 years, not including customers who have purchased trade show services, research, advertising, or other nonmarketing services from the invention promoter, or who have defaulted in their payment to the invention promoter;
(3) the total number of customers known by the invention promoter to have received a net financial profit as a direct result of the invention promotion services provided by such invention promoter;
(4) the total number of customers known by the invention promoter to have received license agreements for their inventions as a direct result of the invention promotion services provided by such invention promoter; and
(5) the names and addresses of all previous invention promotion companies with which the invention promoter or its officers have collectively or individually been affiliated in the previous 10 years.
(b) CIVIL ACTION.-
(1) Any customer who enters into a contract with an invention promoter and who is found by a court to have been injured by any material false or fraudulent statement or representation, or any omission of material fact, by that invention promoter (or any agent, employee, director, officer, partner, or independent contractor of such invention promoter), or by the failure of that invention promoter to disclose such information as required under subsection (a), may recover in a civil action against the invention promoter (or the officers, directors, or partners of such invention promoter), in addition to reasonable costs and attorneys' fees--
(A) the amount of actual damages incurred by the customer; or
(B) at the election of the customer at any time before final judgment is rendered, statutory damages in a sum of not more than $5,000, as the court considers just.
(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), in a case where the customer sustains the burden of proof, and the court finds, that the invention promoter intentionally misrepresented or omitted a material fact to such customer, or willfully failed to disclose such information as required under subsection (a), with the purpose of deceiving that customer, the court may increase damages to not more than three times the amount awarded, taking into account past complaints made against the invention promoter that resulted in regulatory sanctions or other corrective actions based on those records compiled by the Commissioner of Patents under subsection (d).
This information can help an inventor determine how selective the promoter has been in deciding which inventions it promotes and how successful the promoter has been.
Effective date:  January 28, 2000
35 U.S.C. 297 Improper and deceptive invention promotion.
<>
(a) IN GENERAL.- An invention promoter shall have a duty to disclose the following information to a customer in writing, prior to entering into a contract for invention promotion services:
(1) the total number of inventions evaluated by the invention promoter for commercial potential in the past 5 years, as well as the number of those inventions that received positive evaluations, and the number of those inventions that received negative evaluations;
(2) the total number of customers who have contracted with the invention promoter in the past 5 years, not including customers who have purchased trade show services, research, advertising, or other nonmarketing services from the invention promoter, or who have defaulted in their payment to the invention promoter;
(3) the total number of customers known by the invention promoter to have received a net financial profit as a direct result of the invention promotion services provided by such invention promoter;
(4) the total number of customers known by the invention promoter to have received license agreements for their inventions as a direct result of the invention promotion services provided by such invention promoter; and
(5) the names and addresses of all previous invention promotion companies with which the invention promoter or its officers have collectively or individually been affiliated in the previous 10 years.
(b) CIVIL ACTION.-
(1) Any customer who enters into a contract with an invention promoter and who is found by a court to have been injured by any material false or fraudulent statement or representation, or any omission of material fact, by that invention promoter (or any agent, employee, director, officer, partner, or independent contractor of such invention promoter), or by the failure of that invention promoter to disclose such information as required under subsection (a), may recover in a civil action against the invention promoter (or the officers, directors, or partners of such invention promoter), in addition to reasonable costs and attorneys' fees--
(A) the amount of actual damages incurred by the customer; or
(B) at the election of the customer at any time before final judgment is rendered, statutory damages in a sum of not more than $5,000, as the court considers just.
(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), in a case where the customer sustains the burden of proof, and the court finds, that the invention promoter intentionally misrepresented or omitted a material fact to such customer, or willfully failed to disclose such information as required under subsection (a), with the purpose of deceiving that customer, the court may increase damages to not more than three times the amount awarded, taking into account past complaints made against the invention promoter that resulted in regulatory sanctions or other corrective actions based on those records compiled by the Commissioner of Patents under subsection (d).
Effective date:  January 28, 2000
35 U.S.C. 297 Improper and deceptive invention promotion.
<>
(c) DEFINITIONS.- For purposes of this section-
(1) a "contract for invention promotion services" means a contract by which an invention promoter undertakes invention promotion services for a customer;
(2) a "customer" is any individual who enters into a contract with an invention promoter for invention promotion services;
(3) the term "invention promoter" means any person, firm, partnership, corporation, or other entity who offers to perform or performs invention promotion services for, or on behalf of, a customer, and who holds itself out through advertising in any mass media as providing such services, but does not include-
(A) any department or agency of the Federal Government or of a State or local government;
(B) any nonprofit, charitable, scientific, or educational organization, qualified under applicable State law or described under section 170(b)(1)(A) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986;
(C) any person or entity involved in the evaluation to determine commercial potential of, or offering to license or sell, a utility patent or a previously filed nonprovisional utility patent application;
(D) any party participating in a transaction involving the sale of the stock or assets of a business; or
(E) any party who directly engages in the business of retail sales of products or the distribution of products; and
(4) the term "invention promotion services" means the procurement or attempted procurement for a customer of a firm, corporation, or other entity to develop and market products or services that include the invention of the customer.
(d) RECORDS OF COMPLAINTS.-
(1) RELEASE OF COMPLAINTS.- The Commissioner of Patents shall make all complaints received by the Patent and Trademark Office involving invention promoters publicly available, together with any response of the invention promoters. The Commissioner of Patents shall notify the invention promoter of a complaint and provide a reasonable opportunity to reply prior to making such complaint publicly available.
(2) REQUEST FOR COMPLAINTS.- The Commissioner of Patents may request complaints relating to invention promotion services from any Federal or State agency and include such complaints in the records maintained under paragraph (1), together with any response of the invention promoters.
The USPTO has a website that collects inventor resources.  Complaints that have been received pursuant to the American Inventor’s Protection Act are posted on this site, along with any reply received from the Invention Promotor.
This is the form that is provided on the USPTO internet website for filing complaints.
Although the USPTO cannot investigate complaints, the FTC can. 
For Release: March 19, 2007
FTC Charges Invention Promotion Swindlers with Contempt
Scam Operation Took More Than $60 Million from 17,000 Consumers
The Federal Trade Commission has filed a civil contempt action against four individuals and eight business entities for allegedly operating a fraudulent invention promotion business in violation of a court order. The individuals were employed by International Product Design Inc., which the FTC charged with fraudulent business practices in 1997. A court order issued in 1998 prohibited Julian Gumpel, Darrell Mormando, and Greg Wilson from deceptively marketing invention promotion services, but Gumpel later revived the same scam under the name, “Patent and Trademark Institute of America” (PTI).
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2007/03/ipd.shtm
In many countries there is an absolute novelty standard.  As a result, if an inventor, unaware of the patent laws, tells someone about their invention, e.g., publishes a technical article about it, if the inventor subsequently files a patent application for the invention, the earlier article will be  used as prior art.  In the U.S., articles by the inventor within one year prior to the filing date of the application are not prior art.  Moreover, U.S. law does not require the inventor to identify any publications on filing in order to have them excused as prior art.
This also applies to prior art that describes the inventor’s work, such as a newspaper article.
Patent Term Adjustment- this was also added to the patent law as part of the American Inventors Protection Act.  If you want to go into detail, the main measures are:
14 months from filing for the examiner to pick up the application, search and write an Office action
4 months to respond to a response from the Applicant
4 months to pick up an application after a decision of the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences 4 months to issue the patent after the date when applicant has met all requirements for a patent to issue (e.g., payment of the issue fee)