Microsoft Penalized $200M for Word XML Patent

By Marcus Yam
published

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."

Marcus Yam
Marcus Yam
Marcus Yam served as Tom's Hardware News Director during 2008-2014. He entered tech media in the late 90s and fondly remembers the days when an overclocked Celeron 300A and Voodoo2 SLI comprised a gaming rig with the ultimate street cred.
24 Comments Comment from the forums
  • dman3k
    if only I patented the alphabets...
    Reply
  • jecht
    Lol I like how the company is name "i4i", as in, we're gonna get you back, eye for an eye, for stealing!

    Even if it isn't, it sounds like the worst-disguised patent troll company ever.
    Reply
  • tenor77
    So wait, is it their use of XML which is open source or how they are using it that this is based off of. Either way this seems like a patent troll.
    Reply
  • dheadley
    they are not a patent troll company. they were one of the first companies, if not the first company, to develop a 3rd party application that provided for XML to be used inside of Microsoft office applications.
    I remember reading about this a long time ago and at the time it began they had some very big corporations that they developed the application for who testified in their behalf. and this goes back a couple of years to the time when Microsoft did not support XML and had an anti-xml, and pro-proprietary Microsoft mantra. this company was the company to go to for this if you were a windows/office enterprise. when Microsoft decided to shift their stance and implement XML they supposedly came very close to duplicating the code that this company had developed.
    Reply
  • IzzyCraft
    company is named i4i i don't trust them esp scene it's Canadian so they dam well know English
    Reply
  • Platypus
    Why work hard and contribute to the world when you can just sit back and sue people?
    Reply
  • SAL-e
    Let me take a guess that the court is located in Eastern District of Texas , favorite place to file patent case. Canadian company sues Microsoft (Headquarters located in Washington)all the way in the south in Texas?! How crooked the system is! I can bet you that i4i has open office in Texas less then 1 year prior the filing the case.
    Reply
  • Greatwalrus
    While I am generally against suing so RIDICULOUSLY much for patents, I am kind of glad to see Microsoft having to pay (getting sued) for one of their patents for once. A little taste of their own medicine could do them some good.
    Reply
  • anamaniac
    dheadleythey are not a patent troll company. they were one of the first companies, if not the first company, to develop a 3rd party application that provided for XML to be used inside of Microsoft office applications. I remember reading about this a long time ago and at the time it began they had some very big corporations that they developed the application for who testified in their behalf. and this goes back a couple of years to the time when Microsoft did not support XML and had an anti-xml, and pro-proprietary Microsoft mantra. this company was the company to go to for this if you were a windows/office enterprise. when Microsoft decided to shift their stance and implement XML they supposedly came very close to duplicating the code that this company had developed.
    That was interesting to learn.

    However $200 million is bogus through all I'm concerned.
    Sounds life Hollywood claiming billions lost via p2p. :)

    Microsoft is like Shakespeare.
    Shakespeare wasn't original at all, he was a con artist.
    He stole all the previously great plays and claimed them for his own.
    BUT, in the process of rewriting them, he made them all better, much like Microsoft has been doing longer than I have been alive.
    Reply
  • grieve
    Greatwalrus what are you talkin about... M$ is always getting screewed.
    Reply