Recently, several mobile developers have come under attack by so-called “patent trolls” who are attempting to force all mobile developers to pay licensing fees on patents that some consider dubious. Now patent research firm Article One Partners is offering to pay $5,000 to $20,000 to anyone who can uncover prior art that would invalidate a patent held by MacroSolve, one of the firms that is suing developers. In order to invalidate the patent, Article One needs only to prove that someone else published the methods mentioned in the patent anywhere in the world prior to the patent application.
This study is a prime example of how different parties – application developers and the general public – can participate in solving a potentially costly problem that impacts the burgeoning mobile app marketplace,” said Article One Partners chief executive Cheryl Milone.
