Microsoft’s options are dwindling in a patent-infringement case brought by i4i, a small Toronto firm that sued the software giant for infringing on its patent for a custom XML editor.
Now, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued a “Reexamination Certificate” validating i4i’s patent. While the move was expected, it leaves Microsoft with few paths forward to escape a $290 million penalty, though an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court is not out of the question. Datamation takes a look.
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued a formal ruling Tuesday that a tiny Canadian firm’s patent is valid, paving the way for Microsoft to appeal the $290 million patent infringement case to the U.S. Supreme Court.
That is, if the Supreme Court, which receives hundreds of requests each term, will agree to hear the case.