Appellate Court Overturns Decision Asking Microsoft to Pay $358 Million Damage
September 11, 2009
In a remarkable turn of event, a US court of appeals overturned a decision asking technology giant Microsoft to pay French communication device-maker Alcatel-Lucent with $358 million damages over a patent dispute.
While the court recognized that Microsoft has indirectly infringed Alcatel’s patent technology, it said that the amount of damages was not justified.
In a court ruling, the judge said the damages awarded on Alcatel has not been supported by evidences, thus the award must be retried and reviewed.
In response to the court ruling, Microsoft Spokesman Kevin Kutz said the company is looking forward to take the next step of the judicial process.
Meanwhile, Alcatel Spokeswoman admitted that the company was disappointed with the latest court decision. However, she said that they [Alcatel] are optimistic that the next judicial proceeding will determine the real amount of compensation they should receive from Microsoft which “did use their patented invention”.