UPDATE: The warning reported below has not occurred again for the user that reported the problem.  It appears that the problem was with Trend Micro. 

I recently received an email indicating that Trend Micro identified the Patent Pal as malware.  Just in case anyone else has received a similar warning, I am posting this information to answer any possible questions.  Security and privacy are important issues for me both personally and professionally.

Trend Micro labeled the Patent Pal as ADW_SHOPPER.F.  The Patent Pal, however, is malware free.  Below you will see why I feel confident in making that assertion.  I use a service called Conduit to provide the Patent Pal to users.  The service provides the coding for the toolbar so that I can focus on customizing the toolbar and providing content.  Here are a couple of links from conduit regarding security and privacy:

http://www.conduit.com/CertifiedSpywareFree.aspx

http://patentpal.ourtoolbar.com/privacy/

http://patentpal.ourtoolbar.com/toolbarprivacy/

http://www.truste.org/ivalidate.php?url=www.conduit.com&sealid=101 

After reading those links, it should be clear that the Patent Pal is not spyware. 

The Patent Pal does default to collecting usage statistics to determine generally how much the toolbar is being used.  No user-identifiable information, however, is sent with the usage statistics.  In addition, you can disable sending usage statistics (steps listed below).  In order to verify that no user-identifiable information is sent, I captured data being sent from my computer while using the toolbar and sending usage statistics.  I did not see any user-identifiable information being transmitted.  Specifically, all I saw was that when clicking on a link, the link url is transferred.  Similarly, when performing a search, the search URL was transferred without the search term.  When I disable usage statistics, none of the above information is sent. 

The only other bit of information I captured was the Patent Pal ID which is not user specific.  Each installation of the Patent Pal has the following CTID: CT1328508.  This merely identifies that the information is for the Patent Pal but does not identify the user.  You can see the Patent Pal ID if you click on the chevron next to the name Patent Pal and select the "about" option.  

Finally, when I accessed the usage statistics that are stored by Conduit, none of the specific URLs were available.  The usage statistics merely indicated how many searches were performed and how many times the toolbar was used.  Thus, even though the URLs (which do not contain user-specific information or enable identification of a user) are transferred, it does not appear that the URLs themselves are stored anywhere.  However, if you have any concerns, I would recommend just disabling the usage statistics as directed below:

1. Click on the chevron (upside down arrow) next to the name "Patent Pal"

2. Select "Toolbar Options"

3. Click on the tab "Additional Settings"

4. Deselect the option "Send usage statistics"

5. Click "Ok"

Finally, here is a link describing the specific virus warning from Trend Micro:

http://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/grayware/ve_graywareDetails.asp?GNAME=ADW%5FSHOPPER%2EF  

You will notice that this is discussing an adware program.  However, no pop-ups or other advertising is ever displayed by the Patent Pal.  I do not make money off of anyone's use of the Patent Pal.  That was not my motivation in creating the Patent Pal.  Additionally, as you will note in the links above, the service Conduit makes its money when users click on sponsored links in some search results pages similar to Google or other search engine providers.  The Patent Pal is as safe or safer than other browser add-ons like the Yahoo! Companion or Google Toolbar. 

In conclusion, the idenficiation by Trend Micro of the Patent Pal as adware is incorrect.  It does not compromise the privacy or security of your computer.  If you have any remaining concerns, you can contact me at support@thepatentpal.com.