Microsoft loses anti-piracy patent case
By Davey Winder in Editorial
Posted in Blog, Security, Microsoft on
File under: a bad day for Microsoft. But a pretty good one for the Australian inventor who will be adding a few big fat zeroes to his bank balance after the largest software business on the planet lost a patent infringement case in the US which is set to cost it a sweet half a billion dollars in damages.
Although Ric Richardson, the founder of Uniloc which was at the heart of the case, will not get all that dosh in his back pocket, you can be sure his percentage of the payout pie will be classed as a nice little earner.
Richardson designed the anti-piracy software that Uniloc successfully claimed was being used within Windows XP and Office software. Microsoft, naturally, is said to be “very disappointed” with the verdict, not least I suspect as jury determined it to be an international patent infringement which means that huge damages award (apparently the 5th highest in US patent law history) could yet double or triple.
Of course, Microsoft is going to appeal on the grounds that the original patent is invalid. The patent, dating from the 90’s, covers software registration systems that prevent the casual copying onto more than the permitted number of computers. Does sound rather familiar, does it not?
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