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Article One Partners Uncovers Key Prior Art Relevant to Worlds.com Patent Litigation

Posted on: Wednesday, 3 June 2009, 07:00 CDT

Peer Review Leads to Prior Art Evidence Showing Worlds.com Patent to Be Invalid

NEW YORK, June 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Article One Partners, LLC, a global community working to legitimize the validity of patents, today announced the outcome of a Patent Validity Study on Worlds.com U.S. Patent No. 7,181,690, for enabling users to interact in virtual spaces. Worlds.com has alleged that the patent is infringed by NCSoft and its Guild Wars games, as well as others that use avatars in virtual worlds and massive multi-player online games. With verification of outside counsel, Article One Partners has identified prior art that can show the Worlds.com patent to be invalid. The winning Advisor has asked to remain anonymous.

"The impact of a patent infringement lawsuit on members of the virtual worlds industry is far reaching, with the Worlds.com litigation impacting not only NCSoft's Guild Wars games, but potentially a large number of industry participants," said Cheryl Milone, president and founder of Article One Partners. "Our community continues to step up to the plate, exploring the core questions of validity in these patent claims, for a powerful peer review of the patent system."

On December 29, 2008, Worlds.com Inc. filed suit against NCSoft Corp., claiming that NCSoft's games infringe its patent. Since that time, Worlds.com has been granted a second patent related to virtual worlds, U.S. Patent No. 7,493,558, and has added it to the NCSoft litigation. Article One's prior art collection for the '690 patent also is relevant to the new '558 patent.

Article One offers the prior art collection for the '690 Patent Study for license to the industry. The prior art uncovered by the AOP community is fundamental information to allow members of industry to assess their freedom to operate, and evaluate potential licensing opportunities or acquisitions of patents in the virtual worlds technology for defensive purposes.

Importantly, only a U.S. federal court or the U.S. Patent Office can invalidate a U.S. patent. While Article One's research is validated by actions such as this past week's grant by the U.S. Patent Office of the request for re-exam of Merck's Singulair drug (filed by Article One Partners in March), Article One is announcing only its own conclusion based on its analysis of the prior art for purposes of determining winners to its Patent Studies. A court or the Patent Office may disagree with Article One's conclusion.

About Article One Partners

Article One Partners is a global online community that legitimizes the validity of patents. Community members - who Article One calls Advisors - have an opportunity to send in previously undisclosed evidence of patent validity. By tapping the unique knowledge and referral networks of our Advisors, this evidence known as prior art can be discovered. Article One analyzes the prior art to determine whether it can show patents to be legitimized or invalid. If Article One forms an opinion that patents are invalid, Advisors earn up to $50,000. Advisors who actively build the community also earn premium compensation in a Profit Sharing Plan, distributing approximately five percent (5%) of Article One's net annual profit. The result is a highly-rewarded community providing a second, citizen's review of U.S. patents to justify monopoly pricing for true innovation and energize U.S. patent reform. To learn more about Article One Partners, or to become a member of our community, please visit www.ArticleOnePartners.com.

Article One Partners and AOP are service marks of Article One Partners, LLC. All other product and company names are the trademarks and property of their respective owners.

(C) 2009. Article One Partners, LLC. All rights reserved.

SOURCE Article One Partners, LLC

Source: PR Newswire

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