Microsoft loses patent appeal, Office and Word 2007 sales to end in January

Microsoft has lost its legal appeal with a small Canadian company called i4i, which will result in the sales of its popular software programs Microsoft Word 2007 and Microsoft Office 2007 being halted on January 11th, 2010.

The whole she-bang is over some XML code in the software suites which was found to infringe i4i’s patent, landing the smaller company a right little earner to the tune of some $290 million.

This injunction applies only to software copies sold in the U.S. on or after the injunction date of January 11, 2010 (previously sold copies are not affected), and Microsoft have said that the launch of Office 2010 won’t be affected by the ruling.

Here’s Microsoft’s full press statement:

Microsoft Statement Regarding the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit Ruling in the i4i Case
Statement by Kevin Kutz, Director of Public Affairs, Microsoft

REDMOND, Wash. – Dec. 22, 2009 – We have just learned that the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has denied our appeal in the i4i case. We are moving quickly to comply with the injunction, which takes effect on January 11, 2010.

This injunction applies only to copies of Microsoft Word 2007 and Microsoft Office 2007 sold in the U.S. on or after the injunction date of January 11, 2010. Copies of these products sold before this date are not affected.

With respect to Microsoft Word 2007 and Microsoft Office 2007, we have been preparing for this possibility since the District Court issued its injunction in August 2009 and have put the wheels in motion to remove this little-used feature from these products. Therefore, we expect to have copies of Microsoft Word 2007 and Office 2007, with this feature removed, available for U.S. sale and distribution by the injunction date. In addition, the beta versions of Microsoft Word 2010 and Microsoft Office 2010, which are available now for downloading, do not contain the technology covered by the injunction.

While we are moving quickly to address the injunction issue, we are also considering our legal options, which could include a request for a rehearing by the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals en banc or a request for a writ of certiorari from the U.S. Supreme Court.