Microsoft Corp. v. i4i Ltd. Partnership

"Patent Showdown: Microsoft's XML Infringement Case"

Short Description :

Microsoft was sued by i4i Ltd. Partnership for infringing on a patent related to XML (Extensible Markup Language) editing in Microsoft Word.

Case Law Details :

- Background : i4i Ltd. Partnership, a Canadian software company, held a patent (U.S. Patent No. 5,787,449) for a method of processing XML in documents. i4i claimed that Microsoft's Word 2003 and Word 2007 software infringed on this patent.

- Findings : The district court found that Microsoft had indeed infringed on i4i's patent and awarded i4i $290 million in damages. The court also issued a permanent injunction against Microsoft, prohibiting it from selling Word software with the infringing functionality.

- Judgment : The U.S. Supreme Court ultimately upheld the lower court's decision, affirming that Microsoft's infringement was willful and that the patent was valid. Microsoft was required to pay the damages and comply with the injunction.

Implications

- Patent Validity : The case highlighted the importance of patent validity challenges and the standards for invalidating patents.

- Injunctions : The Supreme Court's decision reinforced the principle that patent holders are entitled to injunctive relief when their patents are infringed.