Court upholds Florida Microsoft settlement

A Florida appeals court on Wednesday upheld Microsoft's settlement of a class action suit that provides benefits to consumers who purchased licenses for Microsoft operating system, productivity suite, spreadsheet or word-processing software between Nov. 16, 1995, and Dec. 31, 2002, for use in the state.

Rejecting the claims of those who objected to the settlement, the court noted in its ruling the deal's similarities to agreements reached and approved in other states.

Under terms of the deal, class action members will receive vouchers for future technology purchases. The settlement provides a maximum amount of $202 million. A portion of any unclaimed funds will go to Florida schools.