MicroPatent

MicroPatent was a subsidiary of the Thomson Corporation (now Thomson Reuters). It was a commercial source for online patent and trademark information. The service offered a searchable collection of full text patent data, including patent documents from France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, the European Patent Office and the World Intellectual Property Organization.^[1]

In 2004, hacker Myron Tereshchuk attempted to extort $17 million from MicroPatent by threatening to release confidential information and launch a DDOS attack. Tereschuk was arrested by the FBI in a raid which uncovered "components for hand grenades, the formula and items necessary for making Ricin, and literature about poisons" in his possession.^[2][3]