Microsoft slams $290 million patent verdict as 'miscarriage of justice'

A "miscarriage of justice" is how Microsoft describes the verdict that awarded Toronto-based i4i nearly $300 million in damages and prohibited Redmond from selling current versions of Word 2003 and Word 2007 in the U.S. after Oct. 10.
8/28/2009 4:00:00 AM By: Gregg

Microsoft Corp.'s lawyers late yesterday said the verdict that awarded a Canadian developer nearly $300 million in damages and resulted in an impending ban on sales of the company's popular Word software was a "miscarriage of justice."

In a brief filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, Microsoft asked the three-judge panel to overthrow a Texas court's verdict and quash the injunction that prohibits the company from selling current versions of Word 2003 and Word 2007 in the U.S. after Oct. 10.

Software development company i4i Inc., which first accused Microsoft of patent infringement in 2007, wasted no time in firing back.

"The appeal brief filed by Microsoft is an extraordinary document," said i4i's chairman, Loudon Owen, in an e-mailed statement. "It captures the hostile attitude of Microsoft toward inventors who dare to enforce patents against them. It is also blatantly derogatory about the Court system."

Microsoft's brief is the first step in a fast-track process approved last week after Microsoft appealed the May jury verdict that found the company guilty of patent infringement. Two weeks ago, U.S. District Court Judge Leonard Davis, who oversaw the case, awarded i4i more than $290 million in damages and interest, and blocked Microsoft from selling Word in its current form.

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