Microsoft hit with $200 million patent verdict
A federal jury in Tyler, Texas, on Wednesday ordered Microsoft to pay $200 million in a patent infringement case.
The jury ruled that the custom XML tagging features of Word 2003 and Word 2007 infringed on a patent from Toronto-based I4i.
A Microsoft representative said the company was "disappointed" by the verdict and would seek to have it reversed.
"We believe the evidence clearly demonstrated that we do not infringe and that the I4i patent is invalid," Microsoft spokesman David Bowermaster said in a statement. "We believe this award of damages is legally and factually unsupported, so we will ask the court to overturn the verdict."
Last month, in a separate infringement case brought by Uniloc, Microsoft was hit with a $388 million verdict. The company said it would appeal that order.
During her years at CNET News, Ina Fried has changed beats several times, changed genders once, and covered both of the Pirates of Silicon Valley. These days, most of her attention is focused on Microsoft. E-mail Ina. 
Remember, the only people who pay for these absurd lawsuits are the customers of the product, and that's you.
On the other hand, Microsoft abuses the system also. They recently patented crippling of their MS Windows operating system, something that has been done for a long time.
I guess lack of money drives us to do petty things.
Microsoft will fight it and so it'll take another 5+ years to sort out. Only the lawyers are happy.
For the record: a patent on XML tagging? Are you yanking my chain?
Just when you thought that XML was an open language, someone gets a patent on a process for using XML.
Hmmm...maybe I should patent the printing of XML schema on t-shirts?
But this article gives no insight as to what the patent covers or what MS did to violate it. It seems, on the surface, that use of this open source standard, no matter how you twist it, should not be subject to patents or claims.
Can you demonstrate a case where Microsoft influenced in a major way how the patent system and process came about?
I believe that the patent system is outdated and should not apply to software/code until it's updated.
If you are a large technology company, you *have* to build a large patent library to use against other companies with large patent libraries and that has resulted (for the most part) in a patent detente for companies that actually make something, but these IP Companies fall out of the loop and do nothing but drag down innovation and introduce cost to the system.
Let's make it a lot harder to patent something and create a vetting process that actually involves people who know something about technology and then maybe the madness will abate.
As to Microsoft, Karma can be a *****!
Hurry up and quash them Google or Apple or someone.
Either choose between Linux or Apple?
So I would have to choose between a company who will only let me use what they want me to use and a company who can't get a truly user friendly product out the door wow lovely.
Now the real question - how many of you are using unauthorized MSFT software? Odds are all of you!
Copyright infringement gets you a hefty fine & you can go to jail: patent infringement is simply an annoyance? Puh-leeze! Can't wait to see how more anti-trust enforcement further curbs abuse by these serial patent pirates.
It is unfortunate that Microsoft does not feel obligated to comply with the law. I am sure they have attorneys and patent counsel that advise them on an ongoing basis that they are in violation of many, many patents that are of record. Why should they get a pass when everyone else must comply?
Rather than fight these lawsuits in court (spending millions of dollars of their shareholders' assets) why don't they try and negotiate the inevitable? There are a variety of remedies that might apply that might be less costly. Why not mediation or third party arbitration? I don't think many of these lawsuits would go all the way through the court system, pass the Markman verdict stage and go to trial if they did not have merit. In this instance, Microsoft is the company that is throwing its weight around trying to intimidate and bully its smaller plaintiffs. If this continues to be their modus operandi it is only logical that they will continue to lose.
- by Josh_K_2222 May 31, 2009 10:50 PM PDT
- Large companies like Microsoft often stifle innovation by seeking to weaken patents owned by smaller entities. Although I am confident microsoft will simply appeal the decision, I'm glad to see the smaller company prevail here.
- Like this Reply to this comment
-
(26 Comments)GeneralPatent.com