i4i crows in wake of Microsoft decision

Jake Widman
Thursday, 24 December 2009 09:28

IT Industry - Strategy

In statements released after Microsoft lost its appeal of a patent infringement case, i4i executives portrayed the decision as a victory for small developers everywhere.

As reported by iTWire yesterday, the appeal was Microsoft's attempt to avoid an injunction issued in August that would force the company to stop selling versions of Microsoft Word that could manipulate custom XML.

The founder of i4i, the Canadian company that holds the patent Microsoft was found to have infringed, was said to have been pleased with the decision. He has since made it clear exactly how pleased.

"This ruling is clear and convincing evidence that our case was just and right, and that Microsoft wilfully infringed our patent," said Michel Vulpe in a statement. "i4i is especially pleased with the court's decision to uphold the injunction, an important step in protecting the property rights of small inventors.

He was joined by i4i chairman Loudon Owen, who said, "We couldn't be more pleased with the ruling from the appeals court which upheld the lower court's decision in its entirety.

Owen continued, "This is both a vindication for i4i and a war cry for talented inventors whose patents are infringed. "The same guts and integrity that are needed to invent and go against the herd, are at the heart of success in patent litigation against a behemoth like Microsoft."

Vulpe also took the opportunity to make a brief sales pitch: "We will continue to fully and vigorously enforce our rights, and we invite all potential customers interested in custom XML to contact us."