Andre Yoskowitz
1 Aug 2011 0:25
Microsoft has been ordered to pay Alcatel-Lucent $70 million for infringing on a patent.
The patent is used in Microsoft Outlook and two other apps.
Lucent was asking for $75 million in damages and Microsoft asked the jurors to limit the fee to $5 million. It is clear with what side the jury sided.
The patent involved teach for touch-screen form entry. Alcatel-Lucent argued that the tech "played a central role in the entire operation" of Outlook.
Lucent won the case originally in 2008 and was awarded $358 million in damages. An appeals court overturned the damages award however, saying the figure lacked "sufficient evidentiary support."
Says Microsoft (via Bloomberg)
We continue to maintain that current law requires a genuine apportionment of damages when the infringement is directed to a small feature of a feature-rich product. We are reviewing the verdict in that light and considering next steps.