Micorsoft Forbidden to Sell Microsoft Word

Posted by Daniel Shain

Comments
2
Likes
2
Dislikes
0

You heard right - this is no anti-monopoly-give-others-a-chance move. This is an outright demand for a complete stop. And not just by some schlub - this baby's court ordered.

I stumbled upon this bit of news a few days ago but I think it took until now to really enter into my skull. But no, it's real. U.S. District Court Judge Leonard Davis of the Eastern District of Texas really and truly ruled against Microsoft, ordering them not only to pay $290,000,000 in damages to a company called i4i but also from selling MSWord at all.

The story is that The Little Guy, i4i of Toronto, filed a patent on a particular method for reading XML, a markup language. The patent number was 5,787,449. The year it was filed was 1998. In March of 2007, i4i filed a claim that Microsoft willingly violated their patent. Recently the honorable Judge Davis decided to agree with them, filing an injunction against Microsoft involving any .XML, .DOCX or .DOCM files that rely on the custom XML. He also awarded the damages mentioned above at the same time.

Microsoft's line is obviously that they violated nothing and they have appealed this decision. There is no way that MS stops selling Word, and chances are we'll see another blip on the radar when this decision is overturned or a much quieter one when MS pays off i4i to go away.

Does this sound a little bit like Psion and their netbook patent to anyone else? Maybe i4i has a little better of a case - maybe - but we doubt they'll have much more success.

Most Popular Laptops at Pricegrabber.com

Comments

  • By: Joseph Sep 24, 2009 6:08 AM

    wow , thats weirdddd. .

    BTW , I think there is a typo error in the title of this post

    >"Micorsoft"

  • By: Joseph Sep 24, 2009 6:08 AM

    wow , thats weirdddd. .

    BTW , I think there is a typo error in the title of this post

    >"Micorsoft"

Add your Comment

Verification Code
Verify (type this text in the box below the image)

Newsletter Sign-Up

Most Popular Laptops & Gear

  • 1. Inspiron Mini 10v Netbook - Customizable

    Inspiron Mini 10v Netbook - Cu

  • 2. MacBook Notebook

    MacBook Notebook

  • 3. Pavilion Dv6-2150us Notebook

    Pavilion Dv6-2150us Notebook

  • 1. EOS Rebel XSi Black SLR Digital Camera Kit

    EOS Rebel XSi Black SLR Digita

  • 2. EOS Rebel T1i Black SLR Digital Camera Kit w/...

    EOS Rebel T1i  Black SLR Digit

  • 3. D90 Black SLR Digital Camera Body Only

    D90 Black SLR Digital Camera B

  • 1. iPod Touch 64GB Black MP3 Player

    iPod Touch 64GB Black MP3 Play

  • 2. iPod Touch 8GB Black MP3 Player

    iPod Touch 8GB Black MP3 Playe

  • 3. iPod Touch 32GB Black MP3 Player

    iPod Touch 32GB Black MP3 Play

  • 1. UN55B8000 55" LED TV

    UN55B8000 55" LED TV

  • 2. 42LH30 42" LCD TV

    42LH30 42" LCD TV

  • 3. Windows 7 Home Premium

    Windows 7 Home Premium

Powered by
PriceGrabber.com

Latest Updates

  • ASUS Eee PC 1000HE

    The Eee PC has a slightly faster Atom processor and a faster FSB compared to the previous models. While this is not enough for anyone to upgrade, it could certainly attract first-time netbook buyers. Read More

  • Dell Vostro A860

    When price and performance must share in compromise, few laptops on the market readily answer the call of duty. When it comes to getting high quality at an affordable price, the Dell Vostro A860... Read More

  • Dell Mini 9

    By now Dell has a full range of netbooks in sizes 9", 10", and oddly a 12" model, of which we’re looking at the smallest 9-incher here. Read More

More Reviews

More Top Lists

  • Apple Worldwide Developers Conference 2009

    Yet again, Apple's professional geeks will offer up sessions and hands-on code probing and testing at Moscone West in San Francisco. The dates for 2009 are June 8-12. Read More

  • E3 Expo

    The E3 Expo - also known as the Electronic Entertainment Expo - is the one trade show to visit to get the latest news from the computer and video games industry. Read More

  • CeBIT - Hannover 3-8 March

    Unlike CES, CeBIT is open to the public, so there's no need to be a press or industry affiliate to have a look at this massive trade show, which is the largest in the world. Read More

  • International CES 2009

    Find out all you need to know about the 2009 International CES. It features 2,700 exhibitors, including companies who manufacture products or provide services for the audio, digital imaging, home... Read More

  • Mac World Conference

    Make sure to make a note about the Macworld Expo at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, January 5-9. If you're a Mac user and wish to meet equivalent people in the industry this is the place for you. Read More

More Events

More Apple

More Linux

More Microsoft

Editor's Choice

  • Weird, Extraordinary and Record-Breaking Laptops

    Here are the laptops that break one record or another, be it oldest, ugliest, cheapest or just very out of the ordinary. Read More

  • Top 10 Technologies of 2008

    Laptopical's T.J. Aaron summarizes the breakthroughs in technology of 2008. As we are nearing the end of 2008 - find out what made his Top 10 of the most successful and talked about technologies of... Read More

  • Top 10 Netbooks

    The netbook world has gotten increasingly crowded, and until the massive popularity of the form factor wanes this trend will only increase. Beyond Asus and Acer, major corporations like Dell, HP... Read More

Latest Laptopical.com tweets