Did you Know that Microsoft Word is Banned in the US?

Did you know that Microsoft Word is banned in the US? I was surprised when I first read the title but it is indeed true and an East Texas District Court Judge was the one who ordered Microsoft to stop selling or importing  to the United States any Microsoft Word products that has the ability to open .xml, .docx or .docm files (these are basically XML files) which contain custom XMI.

This decision is based on the results of a complaint filed by i4i which is based in Toronto on alleging that Microsoft violated its 1998 patent (Number 5,787,449) on how XML is read.

Microsoft spokesperson Kevin Kutz said their are disappointed with the court ruling and they believe the evidence clearly demonstrated that they do not infringe on the patent of i4i. Microsoft is expected to appeal this verdict.

Also, Microsoft would pay i4i $ 240 million dollars in damages including all the court fees and interests. The amount Microsoft is paying all in all reaches to around $ 290 million dollars.

Ok, Microsoft would appeal the verdict but in any case they would have to pay the fine should they lose. They would not however stop selling Microsoft Word, instead they would change the algorithm on how XML is read so they can sell their application without infringing on i4i’s patent.

Image from Microsoft.