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

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

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

Media, Mike Schultz of Message Infusion, LLC, +1-978-496-1012,
AOP@MessageInfusion.com, for Article One Partners, LLC