As you may recall, Canadian company i4i Inc. sued Microsoft over the use of some of its XML patents in current versions of Microsoft Word. A Texas court ruled in i4i's favor in August, in effect barring Microsoft from selling Microsoft Word or Microsoft Office (which contains Word). An extension and then stay on that injunction were granted through the end of the appeals process, but Microsoft has now lost the appeal.
Does this mean Microsoft Word and Microsoft Office will actually disappear from store shelves? No. The company has already issued a statement regarding the ruling, stating in part:
"With respect to Microsoft Word 2007 and Microsoft Office 2007, we have been preparing for this possibility since the District Court issued its injunction in August 2009 and have put the wheels in motion to remove this little-used feature from these products. Therefore, we expect to have copies of Microsoft Word 2007 and Office 2007, with this feature removed, available for U.S. sale and distribution by the injunction date. In addition, the beta versions of Microsoft Word 2010 and Microsoft Office 2010, which are available now for downloading, do not contain the technology covered by the injunction."
Microsoft also says it is assessing its legal options and is considering requesting a rehearing by the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals, or taking the case to the next level, the U.S. Supreme Court.
Frankly, we think that this would all be a lot easier and move a lot faster if Microsoft would just write i4i a check.