This is importantMicrosoft ?? currently locked ?n legal battle w?th i4i, a smallCanadian company th?t h?? argued f?r years th?t Word 2003 ?n? 2007violated ?t? patents related t? custom XML. Th? two sides argued th??rcase before th? U.S. Supreme Court earlier th?? week, officially m?k?ng?t a Very B?g Deal. More t? th? point, depending ?n wh? wins, ?t ?????radically affect patent law ?n th?? country.
During th? April 18arguments, Microsoft’s legal counsel insisted th?t th? current standard?f proof f?r invalidating patents ?? t?? high, m?k?ng ?t difficult f?rcompanies t? repulse frivolous patent-infringement suits. “Wh?n th?Patent Office didn’t even consider th? evidence, ?t m?k?? absolutely n?sense,” Microsoft attorney Thomas Hungar t??? th? court, according t? ?n April 18 Bloomberg report.
IfMicrosoft triumphs, ?t ????? establish a precedent th?t m?k?? ?t easierf?r b?g companies t? knock down weak intellectual-property lawsuits.Th?t w???? h??? slam th? brakes ?n “patent trolling,” ?n annoyance f?rmany large tech companies. Those companies filing briefs ?n support ?fMicrosoft range fr?m Google t? Cisco Systems.
B?t i4i ?? arguing th?t existing patent law ?? n??????r? f?r innovation.
“It?? abundantly clear th?t th? fundamental change ?n th? law, wh??hMicrosoft seeks, w???? result ?n ?n enormous decrease ?n innovation,”i4i Chairman Loudon Owen wrote ?n ?n April 18 statement. “Microsoft ???n?t present ??th?r policy ?r legal reasons th?t w???? justify ?n?changes t? th? law, particularly th? sweeping change th?? now apparentlyseek.”
S? ?f i4i wins, ?t ????? potentially h??? smaller companies fight ??rg?r aggressors ?n open court. Those filing briefs ?n support ?f i4i include 3M, General Electric ?n? Genentech.
“Th?bottom line: Tech vendors attacked b? patent trolls ?r? ?n?? asking f?rpayback b? reducing th? standards ?n patent law,” Ray Wang, principalanalyst ?f Constellation Research, wrote t? m? ?n ?n April 19 email. “IfMicrosoft wins, ?t’s a check ?n? balance against patent trolls. If i4iwins, innovators wh? feel th??r rights h??? b??n trampled b? large eviltech vendors w??? h??? protected th??r rights.”
Microsoft’s battlew?th i4i goes back t? August 2009, wh?n th? federal judge ?n th? U.S.District Court ?n Eastern Texas ordered th?t ??? copies ?f Word 2003 ?n?2007 b? removed fr?m retail channels within 90 days, ?ft?r i4i arguedth?t th? word-processing software violated ?t? key patents f?r custom XML. Microsoft’s attorneys managed t? impose a delay, ?n?? t? h??? th? U.S. Court ?f Appeals uphold th? verdict four months later.
Microsoft???? found itself hit w?th a nearly $300 million judgment, wh??h ?fupheld ????? sting th? company’s bottom line a wee bit.
Th?tupheld verdict came w?th th? court order th?t ??? offending copies ?fWord b? yanked fr?m store shelves b? early January 2010. Microsoftrefused t? give ?n, issuing a patch f?r Word ?t claimed w???? sidestepth? alleged infringement, ?n? asking f?r a review b? ??? 11 judges ?nth? U.S. Court ?f Appeals f?r th? Federal Circuit.
Th?t effortfailed, ?n? Microsoft appealed t? th? Supreme Court, wh??h agreed t?hear th? case. A ???????n ?h???? come b? late June.
This will directly effect ONE and Sangeth is also aware of this as well. It is a must that i4i wins and if they do, ONE will be a fantastic opportunity.
https://discoveringmolokai.com/?p=1991