A patent infringement case against Microsoft continues to go well for a Canadian company called i4i. The United States Patent and Trademark Office has confirmed the validity of an XML-related patent i4i was granted in 1998.
To provide a little background information: the patent covers custom XML technology, and in a 2009 decision, jurors awarded i4i $290 million after finding that Microsoft had violated it. Microsoft’s been on the attack (in the best-defense-is-a-good-offense sense) ever since.
The strategy hasn’t worked too well, though. Loudon Owen, the chairman of i4i, said in a statement, “Put simply Microsoft lost the trial, lost the appeal, and lost the reexamination. . . . i4i’s patent is clearly and unequivocally valid. The protection of patents and intellectual property is vital to small inventors and pioneers like i4i, especially when confronted by giant infringing industry competitors like Microsoft.”
Now Microsoft seems to have just one choice left, as the corporation has until August 27th to appeal once more. And there’s no guarantee the supreme court will choose to take the case even if that happens.
So it looks like i4i’s ordeal is almost over, and a legal dispute involving XML will soon be resolved.
Many XML professionals have taken i4i’s side over the course of this fight and should be happy to see the situation end well for the company.
