NEW YORK, NY -- (Marketwire) -- 12/07/12 -- After serving in Afghanistan and Iraq, hundreds of thousands of war veterans are looking for work that enables them to succeed in the new economy. Many of these heroes are facing a difficult career environment. Post-9-11 veterans face an unemployment rate of 10 percent [1], higher than the national average.

American Work for American Troops

On the heels of Veterans Day as we commemorate National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, Article One Partners (AOP), the world's largest patent research community, is offering veterans an opportunity to learn about patents and career opportunities in the intellectual property industry. AOP is an American company that harnesses a global network of more than 26,000 registered researchers to uncover hard-to-find patent intelligence.

Research about patents and technology is in demand across industries, from defense and electronics to consumer sporting goods. Veterans are exposed to advanced technology in the military, and the analytical, intelligence and work skills they develop are unsurpassed. Through AOP, veterans can put the specialized knowledge they developed in the military to new use.

In coming months, AOP will kick off a pilot program for veterans to earn money while learning how to research patents. In particular, AOP will feature several research projects and invite veterans' organizations to participate. AOP will educate veterans to succeed in the six-week program. The veterans will also be trained, and AOP will provide guest speakers, who will share best practices to help along the way.

The goal of the project is to help veterans learn about research in the intellectual property industry and possibly provide a career option. In addition, veterans will be able to expand their knowledge around the tools and challenges of starting a new business venture. AOP will provide valuable insights to help drive the success of future entrepreneurs and their ventures. The entire patent system will benefit from the contributions and exemplary skills of our military.

Rewards for Veterans

Eight percent of AOP's winning researchers earned financial rewards upwards of $60,000 annually in 2011 -- more than the average American salary. The typical reward per study ranges from $3,500 to $10,000. AOP has rewarded its researchers a total of more than $3 million to date.

"As a US-based company, we want to extend our respect and honor to the veterans who are heroes in our society," said Cheryl Milone, CEO and founder of AOP. "As AOP continues to grow, we're excited to welcome more veterans into our community. Seasoned by training and discipline, our veterans will thrive in the knowledge-intensive work environment offered by AOP. They are a true asset to the strong community we have today, which ranges from scientists to stay-at-home parents. The veterans are another basis for the tremendous respect that we already have for all of our community members."

AOP Provides Opportunities in a Growing Industry

Patent litigation is at an all-time high, driven by non-practicing entities (NPEs), sometimes referred to pejoratively as "patent trolls." Thousands of NPE-driven lawsuits target companies like Apple, Samsung and Honeywell every year.

AOP researches patents using crowdsourcing. The AOP crowd researches patents to help companies make key business decisions. The information provided by AOP empowers businesses to continue to innovate and build their patent portfolios. This is why everyone from global brands to cutting-edge startups turns to AOP for their patent research needs. The patent research community, in turn, benefits from an ever-expanding line of work.

For more information on active patent studies and to learn how to participate in AOP's research, go to http://www.articleonepartners.com/list.php?status=active.

Sources

[1] VAntage Point, "Veteran Unemployment Rate Falls to 6.3 Percent in October; At 10 Percent for Post-9/11 Vets," 2 October 2012. < http://www.blogs.va.gov/VAntage/8311/veteran-unemployment-rate-falls-to-6-3-percent-in-october-at-10-percent-for-post-911-vets/ >

About Article One Partners

Article One Partners (AOP) researches patents using crowdsourcing. It has revolutionized the transparency of patent data based on its global human search engine. There are a number of use cases, including continuous patent litigation, patent applications and all stages of the patent lifecycle. Today, AOP is the world's largest patent research community. The company distributes requests for prior art research globally to countless scientists and technologists. AOP is active in 161 countries, presents search requests in 10 languages and identifies key foreign language evidence, textual, graphical and non-patent literature. The company is a partner to 16 Fortune 100 companies, 52 Global Fortune 2000 and 7 of the top 10 US patent filers. AOP's client satisfaction rate exceeds 90%.

AOP has a distinguished Board, led by Marshall Phelps, the former head of patents and licensing at IBM and Microsoft. Founded in 2008 by patent community leader, inventor and entrepreneur, CEO Cheryl Milone, the company's product offerings have been called "revolutionary" and "game changing" by leading authorities. In short, many consider AOP to be the new industry standard.