Microsoft to appeal Word patent ruling | Northern Rivers Business | Business News for Northern Rivers, Australia

Brodie Bott

MICROSOFT says it plans to appeal a ruling by a Texas judge that would ban the US software giant from selling its popular Word program in the United States.

US District Court judge Leonard Davis ruled on Tuesday that Word violates an XML patent held by a Canadian company, Toronto-based i4i, and ordered Microsoft to pay more than $US290 million ($A349.8 million) in damages and interest.

He also issued an injunction, which takes effect in 60 days, that would bar Microsoft from selling Word products that include the patented technology.

A Microsoft spokesperson, Kevin Kutz, said the Redmond, Washington-based company planned to appeal.

"We are disappointed by the court's ruling," Kutz said in a statement on Wednesday. "We believe the evidence clearly demonstrated that we do not infringe and that the i4i patent is invalid.

"We will appeal the verdict."

Microsoft was accused by i4i of infringing on a 1998 XML patent in its Word 2003 and Word 2007 programs.

Word uses the XML language to open .XML, .DOCX, and .DOCM files.