A U.S. judge issued a permanent injunction preventing Microsoft Corp. from selling its flagship “Word” software in the United States, agreeing with a jury verdict that the company willfully violated a patent held by a small Toronto firm...The injunction will bar Microsoft from selling its word-processing software that handles documents in a form known a “custom XML.” This category includes the company's Word 2003 and Word 2007 products, as well as any future versions using the same technology in question.
Of course Microsoft plans to appeal. And, I note, at least so far no big change in Microsoft's share price (which, I suppose, suggests that 'the market' either believes that that appeal will be successful or, more likely, that they will be able to settle with i4i, the company whose patents Microsoft has been found to have infringed.
It's unlikely, in other words, that Microsoft won't ultimately get it's way on this (it usually does, if only because money talks and, well, that particular company has a lot to say). Still, it's always nice to see the big supposed bully taken down in the headlines.
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