Over the holidays I had a few inventors contact me and ask about reality television shows for inventors and if it was a good idea to try to get their product on one of the various “invention” shows.

TV is about entertainment and ratings. If you or your product makes for good entertainment, you have a chance to get on a show. These shows are NOT about doing what is best for your invention or you. The agreements that are used generally tip heavily in favor of the show and the producers. It is not unusual that you end up giving most, if not all, of your valuable rights away.

Inventing is hard work and there are no short cuts. If it sounds too good to be true, well, it probably isn’t true. You are better off, in the long run, to go step by step and do the work rather than wasting time looking for short cuts.

However, there are a couple of shows with which I am familiar that are actually looking for stories about inventors. The agreement that they use is very fair and they claim no hold on your invention. So, if you are going to consider a television show as a way of promoting your invention, read the contract carefully. Have someone else review it for you. A good agreement should be to your advantage, and not just theirs.