Dirty Rotten Tricks Video #1: The Patented Ingredients Scam
You’re on the quest for an “over the counter” weight loss supplement, and you’re doing some “research” online. Before long, you happen across a product review site that ranks a certain product highly based on the fact that it contains “patented ingredients.” See? There it is—”patented ingredients”, and there’s the corresponding red checkmark.
Unfortunately, when it comes to supplements, the terms “patented” or patent pending” mean very little.
That’s not what product retailers or their affiliates would have you think, however.
They reference the use of patented or patent pending ingredients within a product’s formula as an indicator of effectiveness, quality, and efficacy.
They know that the majority of their prospective customers think “patented” means “proven to work.”
Believe it or not, it’s not true.
Well, if it doesn’t, what does “patented” mean?
A patent is a legally recognized grant of property rights over an invention, formula, or design. Far from constituting proof of effectiveness, it’s a legal instrument the patent holder can use to prevent others from marketing copycat versions of his/her/their work for a specified time period.
And get this..
The patent holder is not obligated to prove that their process or product actually works to obtain a patent.
Did you get that?
The patent holder is not obligated to prove that their process or product actually works to obtain a patent.
Yes, proving your product does what you claim it does is not part of the patenting process.
So what does that tell us?
It tell us that the people using the fact that a product contains patented ingredients as a selling point, are either incompetent and lazy or unethical.
Incompetent and lazy, in that they don’t know what patented means and couldn’t be bothered to take the time to find out. Unethical if they do know, and are using it as a selling point regardless.
Given that this is the case, maybe it’s a good idea to boycott retailers who make such claims for their products. As you now know, they are total nonsense.
