Ouch! Microsoft has to pay $290m

[Gary]

The US Supreme Court has denied an appeal by Microsoft against a $290m verdict for infringing a small Canadian company's patent.

The company, i4i, sued Microsoft in 2007, saying it owned the technology behind a text manipulation tool used in Microsoft's Word application.

The technology gave Word 2003 and Word 2007 users an improved way of using a document's contents.

Lower courts had said Microsoft wilfully breached the patent.

They ordered the world's biggest software maker to pay up, and to stop selling versions of Word containing the infringing technology. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-13722971

[Simon]

Wow!  I'd happily have an idea pinched for that sort of money! 

[Rik]

That's some payday. Good for them. 

[D-Dan]

As much as I dislike Microsoft, I find myself backing them this time (much as I have backed the other party when MS were the agressors) on this, yet another example of US ludicrous patent laws.

[Rik]

OTOH, Steve, those who live by the sword and all that. The the roles were reversed, you can bet MS wouldn't be arguing for a lower standard of proof.

[Gary]

Microsoft got away with many underhand things for a long time, and stalled European fines, so good for the other team this time, same with Apple or any big company stealing the smallers ideas for their own as I see it they deserve what they get.