Microsoft Word to Stay On Shelves For Now
Microsoft has won its appeal to impose a stay upon an injunction against the sale of Microsoft Word in the United States.
Microsoft last week appealed for a stay against an injuntion that would prevent the company from selling or importing Microsoft Word to customers in the United States. The injunction was the result of a lawsuit from Toronto-based i4i, a company that won a patent infringement suit against Microsoft at the beginning of August. Along with the injunction, Microsoft was ordered to pay damages amounting to $290 million to i4i.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit yesterday granted Microsoft the temporary reprieve yesterday, ruling that the company had done enough to deserve the stay. "We are happy with the result and look forward to presenting our arguments on the main issues on September 23," Microsoft spokesman Kevin Kutz said in a statement.
A spokesperson for i4i told CNet News that the Microsoft's "scare tactics" cannot shield it from the Federal Circuit Court's upcoming review. "Microsoft's scare tactics about the consequences of the injunction cannot shield it from the imminent review of the case by the Federal Circuit Court of Appeal on the September 23 appeal," i4i Chairman Loudon Owen said in a statement. "i4i is confident that the final judgment in favor of i4i, which included a finding of willful patent infringement by Microsoft and an injunction against Microsoft Word, was the correct decision and that i4i will prevail on the appeal.
Read more here.
Get Tom's Hardware's best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox.
Jane McEntegart is a writer, editor, and marketing communications professional with 17 years of experience in the technology industry. She has written about a wide range of technology topics, including smartphones, tablets, and game consoles. Her articles have been published in Tom's Guide, Tom's Hardware, MobileSyrup, and Edge Up.
-
jerther man, patents are a real greedy business... could you imagine a world without lawyers?Reply
...
*dancing people all around the world, hand to hand*
brrrrr :( -
burnley14 I was actually rooting for M$ on this case. I think the whole patenting strictly to steal money from someone who wants to pursue progress is ridiculous. At least M$ was doing something with the idea, not just sitting on it until the time was right to file a lawsuit.Reply -
burnley14, You really need to keep up with the details of the case before you open your stupid mouth and make yourself look more stupid.Reply
i4i was using the patented technology. Microsoft willfully infringed on the patent and intended to make i4i's technology obsolete.
They defintely were not sitting on the patent. -
grieve ImperiexMicrosoft willfully infringed on the patent and intended to make i4i's technology obsolete.They defintely were not sitting on the patent.Im not doubting you, but i wish you informed us how they are using the patent or a link or something to back your statement up.Reply
-
tektek i'm with MS on this one.. its just an example that no matter how perfect a system is... it will still have flaws.. i just wish the consumer would gain from this instead of just corporations.Reply -
jerther Replyburnley14, You really need to keep up with the details of the case before you open your stupid mouth and make yourself look more stupid.
I agree with the keep up part, but not the look stupid part. this one was very unnessary... -
alikum I'll have to support burnley14. The patent system is broken. It only restricts us from advancing in technology and at the same time, restricting competition. XML is an open language that defines data, much like HTML defining layout. Since i4i claims that they are the founder of the architecture, then improve it and go head on against Microsoft. Wait, i4i isn't even targeting business/consumer market in the first place.Reply -
jerther alikumI'll have to support burnley14. The patent system is broken. It only restricts us from advancing in technology and at the same time, restricting competition.Reply
More on this here :) -
megamanx00 Microsofts spends millions settling cases each year simply to avoid a costly legal battle. There must be a reason for them to keep fighting this. $290 million seems a bit insane to pay for a patent like that.Reply