James Delahunty
10 Apr 2009 10:31
Microsoft Corp. has been dealt a harsh strike by being ordered to a pay a sum of $388 million in a patent dispute. The dispute is with anti-piracy software maker Uniloc Inc, and specifically concerns Uniloc's patent on "software that generates unique identities for licensed users and prevents unauthorized use or copying of programs." The Redmond software giant said it was very disappointed with the ruling and plans to appeal.
"We believe that we do not infringe, that the patent is invalid and that this award of damages is legally and factually unsupported," said a Microsoft spokesman. "We will ask the court to overturn the verdict." The verdict is the result of a long case in federal court in Rhode Island.
The lawsuit was originally filed by Uniloc in 2003, claiming patent infringement for Microsoft's use of security software to prevent unauthorized use of its Windows operating system and other products, including Office. The damages award is among the largest in history for a patent infringement case.