Canada’s i4i Wins $200 Million Patent Judgement Against Microsoft

Microsoft has been ordered to pay Canada's i4i $200 million for infringing on a document manipulation patent in both Microsoft Word and Windows Vista.

A Texas federal jury has ordered Microsoft Corporation to pay Canadian software developer i4i some $200 million in damages for infringing on a document manipulation patent in both Microsoft Word 2003 and 2007. i4i is a privately-held software company based in Toronto that focuses on content management solutions and collaborative technologies; the patent focuses on manipulating a document’s structure and content separately from each other.

Microsoft has consistently denied it has infringed on i4i’s patent, and furthermore asserts that i4i’s patent is invalid. “We believe the evidence clearly demonstrated that we do not infringe and that the i4i patent is invalid,” said Microsoft spokesman David Bowermaster, n a statement. “We believe this award of damages is legally and factually unsupported, so we will ask the court to overturn the verdict.”

i4i files its infringement suit against Microsoft in 2007.

Last month, Microsoft was ordered to pay some $388 million in damages for infringing on patented anti-piracy technology from Uniloc. Microsoft is appealing that decision.