Microsoft Thursday said it has suspended any
proposed changes to its Web browser because the lawsuit that prompted it
has not been fully resolved.
The Redmond, Wash.-based software giant issued a statement saying it will
not, for now, “implement modifications to its Windows operating system or
Microsoft Internet Explorer as a result of the Eolas patent lawsuit.”
Last summer, Chicago-based Eolas Technology and the University of
California sued Microsoft over a patent which covers technologies for the
creation of a browser system that allowed for the embedding of small
interactive programs, such as plug-ins, applets, scriptlets or ActiveX
controls, into online documents.
In October Microsoft said that it was considering minor changes that
would allow Web developers and others who use Internet Explorer technology
to avoid any concern of infringement. Microsoft also said the changes would
be made in new versions of Windows that were shipping this year.
Microsoft said the decision to hold off on changing IE was based not only
on the present legal status of the suit, which is being re-examined by the
U.S. Patent Trademark Office, but on requests made by partners and
customers.
“The action by the Patent Office may result in the cancellation of the
Eolas patent,” Microsoft said in a statement. “Given these circumstances,
Microsoft, for now, will not be releasing an update to Internet Explorer and
does not plan on making the changes it announced in October to Windows XP
Service Pack 2.”
Meanwhile, Microsoft said it plans to appeal the judge’s approval of a
jury’s $520 million judgment. The court stayed the judgment, including
implementation of an injunction, until the appeal has been heard and
decided.
Spokesperson Jim Desler declined to speculate on whether or not Microsoft
would resume the proposed changes once the appeals process resolved.
“Obviously circumstances can change how we approach the modest steps we
are taking,” Desler told internetnews.com. “If circumstances were to
change, we would evaluate our situation and consult with specific companies
and developers that use the functionality of pop-up advertising and the
ActiveX control.”
The modifications would have meant that users visiting which Web pages had not been
updated would be presented with a dialog box before the browser loaded the
ActiveX control. The changes would have affected embedded content, including
Microsoft’s Windows Media Player, RealNetworks’ RealOne, Apple’s QuickTime,
Adobe’s Acrobat, Macromedia’s Flash and Java Virtual Machine.
Spokespeople with Macromedia, Apple and RealNetworks were not immediately
available to comment.
Desler said Microsoft would work with industry partners to provide
documentation for Web developers describing ways to build Web pages while avoiding the dialog box.
