Article One Partners, a patent research company which “crowdsources” information which can be used to invalidate patents, is reported to be seeking “prior art” which can be used against a patent held by MacroSolve. Last month, it was reported that MacroSolve had begun suing Android and iOS developers, over a patent covering the collection of data using a handheld device, and its transmission to a central server. According to The Guardian, Article One is offering up to US$20,000 for information which could lead to the patent’s withdrawal.

Article One is said to count Microsoft among its partners, and has recently begun an invalidation search against a company which has alleged infringement by Google, Microsoft and Apple. Cheryl Milone, Chief Executive of Article One, told The Guardian that “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.”

It was noted that M CAM, which describes itself as “a global, full–service innovation and intangible asset management firm,” had separately said that patents filed in 1997 and 1998 appear to overlap with MacroSolve’s intellectual property, including one filed by Jeff Hawkins, inventor of the Palm Pilot. It also notes “more than a dozen” others which would limit its application.