Argument Held in $565 mil Microsoft Patent Case

Grotius writes "As reported in CNET, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (the court that hears patent appeals) heard oral argument in an appeal from a $565 million award against Microsoft for infringing patent rights held by the University of California and Eolas. The University and Eolas share the rights to a patent that they claim covers plug-ins and applets that are invoked through a Web browser. The case has broad implications for the internet -- Microsoft could be forced to change Internet Explorer and make it incompatible with some web pages. However, the issue before the court was narrow: Whether Microsoft should have been permitted to present evidence to the jury of prior art in the form of an earlier web browser called Viola created by Pei Wei."

Comments

Microsoft incompatible?

[tannhaus]

Microsoft could be forced to change Internet Explorer and make it incompatible with some web pages

Yes, and then they'll promptly send a notice to the website and tell them that their site is "no longer compatible with internet standards". There IS something to be said for having 90% of the browser market.

Of course, Microsoft and incompatibility go hand in hand....

Author of viola

[lordarthur]

Has written a comment to this case: http://www.xcf.berkeley.edu/~wei/viola/aboutEolasM icrosoft.html

Microsoft being sued?

[MasamuneXGP]

In Soviet Russia, Microsoft sues you! Oh wait...