Privacy notice.

Research-file retention

New accepted orders that include our hosting policy receive two years of source hosting and five years of report/index hosting from delivery. Source access continues for a 30-day grace period, with requested recovery through day 90. Removal thereafter is subject to shared public-source references, legal or correction holds and the documented backup cycle; backups are not erased instantly. Prepared export files are temporary and expire after seven days. Earlier accepted orders and published samples keep their existing access terms. Downloaded copies remain on the recipient’s device and cannot be remotely erased. Public-source deduplication does not give another customer access to private briefs, account data or interpretation.

Information we use

PatentOracle processes the information needed to provide your account and research service: your username and verified email, protected credentials, research questions and briefs, selected publications, report files, source-access records, orders, credit transactions and support messages. Service and security records can include request times, network information and delivery or error events. Please include only personal or confidential information needed for the work.

Why we use it

We use this information to verify access, assess scope, prepare and deliver research, maintain source links, process payments, answer requests, prevent misuse and resolve service issues. We use research instructions to produce the agreed edition and operational records to keep the service reliable. We do not sell your private research briefs or use them as public sample reports without your permission.

Research sources and AI

Search conditions, such as names, phrases and dates, are sent to patent-search sources to discover publications. Relevant brief text, questions, selected patent passages and, where required, source-page images are sent to OpenAI when you request AI interpretation or an answer. The patent Studio preserves your selected source version and cited evidence alongside the saved result. Deterministic matching and preserved source evidence remain separate from that interpretation. Avoid submitting third-party secrets or personal data that you do not have permission to use for this purpose.

Service providers

Hetzner supplies hosting. Stripe processes payments; our application does not store full card numbers or card security codes. Postmark delivers access codes and service messages, and processes incoming support emails and their attachments. OpenAI processes the research inputs needed for requested interpretation. These providers process relevant information under their own applicable service arrangements; processing can occur in countries different from yours. Search providers receive the queries needed for discovery.

Cookies and browser storage

Essential cookies maintain your account session and authorised source access. Browser storage can retain interface preferences, bookmarks, reading position and drafts, including a print inquiry while you move to the workspace. Clearing that storage can remove unsent drafts or local preferences. The current service does not use advertising trackers, and Postmark email open and link tracking are disabled.

Optional website analytics

With your permission, we count public-page views and selected navigation clicks using our own endpoint. We store daily totals by page and activity for up to 395 days, without account identifiers, patent queries, briefs, email addresses or referring URLs. Private workspaces and Studio activity are excluded. A short-lived in-memory network digest limits abuse and is not saved with the measurements. Analytics is off until you opt in, and we respect browser privacy signals. You can change your choice using Cookie preferences at the bottom of any page; the preference lasts 180 days. These counts are not unique-visitor tracking.

Report sharing

Delivered PDFs can contain report-scoped links to preserved original or highlighted sources. Anyone you share those links with may be able to open that report’s sources. They do not authorise access to your workspace, other projects, payment records or provider keys. Tell us if report-source access needs to be withdrawn; withdrawing a link cannot erase a copy someone has already downloaded.

Access and security

We use workspace access controls, protected account credentials and server-side secret storage. Email addresses, transactional email payloads, support-email bodies and attachments are stored in encrypted form in the application. Research evidence and other operational records are protected by access controls; we do not claim that every stored file is individually encrypted. No service can promise that unauthorised access is impossible.

Retention and deletion

We retain account, research and transaction records to deliver the service, maintain your library and source links, handle disputes and meet applicable recordkeeping obligations. Retention depends on the record and ongoing need. You may request access, correction or deletion. We review requests, explain any necessary retention and remove information from active systems where appropriate; backup copies may persist until the normal backup cycle replaces them.

Print inquiries

A print inquiry records your report reference, desired format, copy count, destination country and preferences. A full delivery address is not required at inquiry stage. Before a physical order, we identify the printer and the report files and delivery details it needs. We seek your approval before that handoff. Asking about printing does not make your report public.

Service communications

Access codes, order information and research updates help operate the service. Support messages are used to answer your request. We do not treat a research purchase as permission to publish your identity, testimonial or report. Any future marketing subscription or material change in how we use personal information will be described separately.

Privacy requests

Contact PatentOracle at support@patentoracle.com or through the support form in your workspace. State whether you want access, a correction, deletion or information about a particular use. We may need to verify account ownership before releasing or changing records. Rights and response requirements can depend on the law that applies to you.

This notice will be updated as the service changes. The date at the top identifies the current version.

Who operates PatentOracle

PatentOracle is operated by Richard Blair, trading as PatentOracle, in the United States.

support@patentoracle.com