A Federal district court judge in Texas today ordered Microsoft Corp. to cease Word sales in 60 days.
An article in USA Today.com explains that Judge Leonard Davis ruled in favor of Canada-based firm i4i that Microsoft had impinged on an obscure i4i patent related to XML (Extensible Markup Language). XML is a flexible way to share common information among different applications over the Internet. The suit involves a patent i4i’s owners obtained in 1998 on “customized XML,” and suggests that Microsoft knowingly impinged it.
In his ruling, Judge Davis ordered up $240 million in fines against Microsoft which, presumably, will appeal.
As the article notes: “No one expects Microsoft to actually stop selling Word any time soon. Its lawyers parried and stalled the best antitrust prosecutors at the U.S. Department of Justice and the European Commission for years. It could win the appeal, settle with i4i, or even buy out the company, which was founded in 1994 and has 30 employees.”
“Or even buy out the company.” You gotta’ love that. What would you give for one hand of poker with Ballmer, holding say maybe four aces from the deal?
No word on whether the check is in the mail yet.
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