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Hawkeye
August 12, 2009, 1:49pm Report to Moderator Report to Moderator

Noble
Posts: 1,055
A judge in Texas has found Microsoft violated a 1998 patent regarding the use of xml in it's word software.  The patent holder, a company named i4i, was awarded $200 million, plus $37 million in prejudgement instrest and $40 million for willful infringement. (http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-10308013-75.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1001_3-0-5)  Talk about being hit hard.  Microsoft can't sell word 2003 or 2007 in the US and has 60 days to comply.  Microsoft was also hit with another patent suit for $338 Million over a patent infrigement on Windows XP, Office XP and Server 2003.  Just because you're big doesn't mean you can steal.


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Hawkeye
August 12, 2009, 1:50pm Report to Moderator Report to Moderator

Noble
Posts: 1,055
Interestingly enough, i4i is a Toronto based company with it's web address here http://www.i4i.com/.


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Hawkeye
August 12, 2009, 2:42pm Report to Moderator Report to Moderator

Noble
Posts: 1,055
As a lark, and as a means to procrastinate from doing work, I searched and found the actual court documents of the ruling.  A mere 20 years ago this would have been impossible... we've come a long way baby.

In the document i4i is further awarded post-verdict damages of $144,060 per day from May 21, 2009 until the date of this Final Judgment.

see it here (http://files.newswire.ca/816/CourtDocuments.pdf)


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Diddly
August 16, 2009, 12:28pm Report to Moderator Report to Moderator

Noble
Posts: 1,231
There's an easy workaround for Microsoft to get past the injunction.  All they have to do is remove the XML feature from Word and give it a new sku.
http://www.computerworld.com/s.....gal_woes_says_expert


Currently Reading:Next in Queue:
When Heavens CollideRed Mars - Kim Stanley Robinson
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Diddly
August 18, 2009, 2:33pm Report to Moderator Report to Moderator

Noble
Posts: 1,231
Microsoft has filed an "Emergency Motion" to allow them to ship Word again.

What I've found most interesting is that MS came to i4i to steal their technology, and was accompanied by US Intelligence!  Here's a quote from an anonymous source:
Quoted Text

I4i had 200 employees and was a growing, thriving business when MS came calling after 9/ll to learn how to do what I4i was doing. That's right. MS visited I4i to learn just how to do what I4i was doing. That's just how obvious and non-novel I4i's patent was at the time. It also proves MS knew the technology was covered by a patent.

MS blatently ripped off I4i and now they are crying because they got caught with their hand in the cookie jar. They stole both I4i's technology and customer base. How? After incorporating I4i's technology into their own products they began to aggressively attack I4i's customer base. At the time I4i had 200 employees. Now they are approximately 1/7th of the size they were.

I'd say that it's pretty clear that I4i has been irreparably harmed by MS's unethical actions.

Quoted Text

MS didn't understand the technology. They went to I4i to understand it. I4i cooperated because MS came in concert with US intelligence and US intelligence was wanting to understand how they could search documents quickly after 9/11. That makes the technology, at that time, both non-obvious and novel to MS, the US government, and most likely the rest of the commercial software world, as they hadn't been able to find anyone who did what I4i was capable of doing. Just because, years later, you think you understand the patent and claim you can think of may applications that violate the patent doesn't invalidate the patent. It had to be innovative/novel/non-obvious then, not now.

Here's a link to give more background.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/the-biblical-vengeance-of-i4i/article1253054/


Currently Reading:Next in Queue:
When Heavens CollideRed Mars - Kim Stanley Robinson
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