Saturday, April 3, 2010

Microsoft loses another appeal on patent Word / XML

The giant Microsoft has dismissed her complaint with the Court of Appeals United States. For the second time, the firm is accused of violating patents related to processing XML files in Word. In a statement , the company says that the i4i Canadian Federal Court of Appeal has rejected Microsoft's request to review the case by a panel of 11 judges.

Already on December 22 last, the appeal court had ordered Microsoft to pay 290 million dollars to i4i and had issued an injunction prohibiting the sale of its Word software on American soil. This time, Loudon Owen, Chairman of i4i, said: "The process was long and arduous, but this decision strongly reinforces the message that small business owners and inventors of intellectual property can be protected and will" .

The decision was already a confirmation of the Trial Judgement in favor of Canadian society. What push the software giant to its limits. As a result, Microsoft was forced to remove the XML in Word 2003 and 2007 versions sold overseas. A forced choice insofar i4i's complaint was based on a request submitted in 1994 and validated by the U.S. Patent Office (USPTO) in 1998.

Microsoft now has the option to use it again or turn to the Supreme Court for a retrial and especially to contest his conviction to pay 290 million dollars.

No comments: