Verdict spares Microsoft $358M in patent damages
SEATTLE (AP) – A federal appeals court says Microsoft Corp. does not have to pay Alcatel-Lucent $358 million for patent infringement because of problems with how damages were calculated.
The disputed patent describes a method of entering information into fields on a computer screen without using a keyboard. Alcatel-Lucent says Microsoft’s Outlook calendar and other programs illegally used this technology.
A jury determined that damages should roughly equal what Microsoft would have paid up front to license Alcatel-Lucent’s technology. But Friday, the U.S. Appeals Court for the Federal Circuit said the French company didn’t prove its technology was valuable enough to have merited $358 million in royalties.
The judges told a district court to reconsider the penalty.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.
Keep Reading
Most Popular
A Roomba recorded a woman on the toilet. How did screenshots end up on Facebook?
Robot vacuum companies say your images are safe, but a sprawling global supply chain for data from our devices creates risk.
A startup says it’s begun releasing particles into the atmosphere, in an effort to tweak the climate
Make Sunsets is already attempting to earn revenue for geoengineering, a move likely to provoke widespread criticism.
10 Breakthrough Technologies 2023
The viral AI avatar app Lensa undressed me—without my consent
My avatars were cartoonishly pornified, while my male colleagues got to be astronauts, explorers, and inventors.
Stay connected
Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review
Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.