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Microsoft hit with $200 million patent verdict

A jury rules that an XML tagging feature in recent versions of Word infringed on a patent from a Toronto-based company.

Ina Fried Former Staff writer, CNET News
During her years at CNET News, Ina Fried changed beats several times, changed genders once, and covered both of the Pirates of Silicon Valley.
Ina Fried

A federal jury in Tyler, Texas, on Wednesday ordered Microsoft to pay $200 million in a patent infringement case.

The jury ruled that the custom XML tagging features of Word 2003 and Word 2007 infringed on a patent from Toronto-based I4i.

A Microsoft representative said the company was "disappointed" by the verdict and would seek to have it reversed.

"We believe the evidence clearly demonstrated that we do not infringe and that the I4i patent is invalid," Microsoft spokesman David Bowermaster said in a statement. "We believe this award of damages is legally and factually unsupported, so we will ask the court to overturn the verdict."

Last month, in a separate infringement case brought by Uniloc, Microsoft was hit with a $388 million verdict. The company said it would appeal that order.