Seattle: In a landmark event, a federal appellate court on Thursday rejected Microsoft’s petition to review the $290 million ruling after losing from the patent lawsuit involving the company’s popular word processing programs.
In a statement, software company i4i (based in Toronto, Canada) which sued the Microsoft in 2007, said the latest court ruling is a proof that their claims are valid, adding that the technology giant should obey the decision.
Meanwhile, Microsoft said it is disappointed with the court decision and added it will consider other legal options which may include filing an appeal before the US Supreme court. However, the high court rarely accepts cases involving patent infringement.
Three years ago, i4i filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Microsoft and accused the US-based company of illegally using its patented technology used in word programs that allow users to edit XML, a computer code that allows the program to display and interpret the contents of a document.
In 2009, a federal court has ruled in favor of i4i saying that Microsoft has willfully infringed the patented technology of the Toronto-based company. As part of the court ruling, Microsoft was asked to pay $290 million and stop the selling and distribution of word programs that contain the infringed technology.
In an effort to overturn the court injunction and the damage award, Microsoft has filed a petition. However, the company lost in the court battle after the appeals court upheld the initial jury decision.
According to media reports, the court injunction that prevents Microsoft from selling the word document containing the infringed technology has taken effect in January.
To prevent financial losses, the technology giant has developed and sold versions of word programs which did not contain the infringed patent.
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