Quick answers to common questions

Registration:

How do I register and become a Researcher?

You can register here.

Can anyone become a Researcher?

While AOP is open to nearly everyone, there are a few things that can disqualify you from becoming a Researcher.

You cannot join AOP if…

You are a patent officer currently or recently employed by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

You intend to use your membership on behalf of anyone else, or if the evidence you provide may be considered to be confidential to your current employer. We assist you with a series of questions on the response form to each Study to enable you to double check that you are eligible to respond.

You can register as a Researcher but you might be ineligible for certain Patent Studies if for example…

You have a confidentiality agreement with your employer that conflicts with the Study

You are employed by a company involved in the Study

Refer to the qualification step when responding to a Study to review your eligibility

Didn't “Researchers“ used to be referred to as “Advisors?“

Yes, and informally - out of respect - we will continue to do so. As we grow, and more people learn about our platform, we have moved to a term that is more readily understandable. Most importantly, we still continue to have immense respect for the tremendous job our community has done!

Who do I contact with questions?

We are happy to answer any questions you may have about AOP. Feel free to contact us through our contact page. You may also post your questions on our forum.

Researcher profile

What is Article One Partners all about?

ARTICLE ONE PARTNERS uses the power of the global online community to research evidence that relates to the claims of novelty of selected patents. A patent, in essence, tells the story of a technology as of a certain date. Its validity is analyzed based in part on whether the same story is told in earlier publications. A Study is a request to the AOP community for such publications that relate to select patents. These publications, known formally as Prior Art, are publicly available and may be in any language from anywhere in the world.

Who is an AOP Researcher?

An AOP Researcher is someone who has signed up on our site as a member of our community.

What are the benefits of signing up as a Researcher?

o As a registered member of our community, you can participate in Studies currently open on our site, and you get exclusive access to new Studies that are on preview to our members. You get the chance to earn rewards and receive points for nearly every activity on our site while enjoying the benefits of belonging to a community of bright minds and keen researchers: networking, building teams for more fruitful searching, participating in forums, and more.

How do I create my profile?

You can easily create your profile when you register on Article One. You simply create your login details or user information and you later provide other information on your profile.

How do I change or update my profile?

o You can easily update your profile by clicking on the account link when you are logged in on our site.

Why do I need to complete my profile?

Some Studies are only offered to Researchers based on their skills, location or areas of interest. The more information you provide, the more Studies you are eligible to participate in.

Do I need to enter my real name in my profile?

We do need this information to process payments to you. Be assured that the information you provide will not be publicly disclosed and will be treated with utmost confidentiality as outlined in our Privacy Policy.

Patent Studies and Responding:

What is a study?

A Study is a research request related to selected patents. Through the Study, the AOP community is invited to submit patent validity evidence or Prior Art, which is information made publicly available before a given date that could be relevant to a patent’s claim of novelty. Each Study contains a description of each patent, links to the actual patent(s) and a description of search requirements or what you need to submit in order to qualify for the stated reward. Note that a prior art submission qualifies for the reward if it predates the Latest Date of Prior Art “LDPA“ for each patent and is received by the Study’s expiration date.

How do I respond to a patent study?

Click on the link in the Study. You will be asked to complete a short eligibility questionnaire. Once it has been determined that you are eligible to participate in the Study based on your answers to the questionnaire, you will be presented with a form where you can easily upload your submissions (PDFs, scans, etc.).

How do I hear about and receive patent studies?

The best way to hear about new Studies is to sign up to receive our newsletter and other updates from Article One. The newsletter provides information about new Study launches in addition to other topics of interest to our community members. From time to time, we may also send out notifications providing additional information related to specific Studies. You may also sign up for our RSS feed to be informed about new Studies as soon as they are launched.

How long do I have to complete a study?

Each Study is generally open for 6 weeks, although some Studies may have special time limitations. To know when you must submit your response to the Study to be eligible for the stated reward, refer to the expiration date provided in the Study description.

Payments and awards

How can I be compensated?

We gladly reward our Researchers for their valuable contributions to our community. Study Rewards are distributed based on the results of individual Studies. Profit Sharing Rewards are distributed based on points accumulated by performing certain activities on our site.

How are Study Rewards distributed?

Study Rewards are paid out based on the results of the Study. For some Studies, the reward is guaranteed and is paid out to the Researcher who submitted the highest quality submission. The reward is not guaranteed in other Studies. In this case, the reward is paid out only if there is a Winner as defined in the Study description.

Profit Sharing Rewards

What is Profit Sharing? We distribute about 5% of our annual net profits to our community based on a Researcher’s level of participation on Article One, as indicated by the points accumulated on our site. For more information on Profit Sharing Points click here.

Didn’t find what you were looking for? Please send us your questions and we’ll happily answer them.