Microsoft Penalized $200M for Word XML Patent
Microsoft has to pay $200 million for Word infringement.
A Texas federal jury has ordered Microsoft to pay $200 million to Canadian software firm i4i Ltd for patent infringement, according to Reuters.
i4i originally sued Microsoft in 2007 for infringing upon one of its patents related to the manipulation of documents, landing the world’s largest software maker in trouble for its Word 2003 and Word 2007 products.
CXO Today reported that i4i had accused Microsoft violating a patent centered around XML, which is used in recent versions of Word.
Microsoft believes that that patent is invalid, and is looking to appeal the decision.
"The evidence clearly demonstrated that we do not infringe and that the i4i patent is invalid," a Microsoft spokesman said. "We believe this award of damages is legally and factually unsupported, so we will ask the court to overturn the verdict."
- microsoft ,
- word ,
- xml ,
- patent ,
- infringement
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So it's an i 4 an i when you mess with a software firm
How can a patent be invalid Microsoft? If the subject of the patent has not been used, nor is there any intention of its use, then maybe you'd have a point (like the fiasco over the term "netbook") but you can hardly patent using XML, especially if somebody else already does it the way you do.
Still, how i4i got a patent on using XML I will never know...