On Saturday, Microsoft complied with a court order to issue a patch for Word 2003. Microsoft previously issued a patch for Word 2007 in December related to the same legal issue. The patch removes custom XML capabilities from the popular software.
“You must install this update if you have been instructed to do so in a separate communication from Microsoft,” the software giant said on its download site. The patches are available on Microsoft’s OEM Partner and Download Centers.
Microsoft’s patches come in the wake of a court order ordering to change the software or stop selling it. In December, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington ruled against Microsoft’s appeal of a patent-infringement verdict and gave the company a tight deadline to fix the issue.
The 449 Patent
At the heart of the issue is a Canadian company called i4i. The company claimed Microsoft violated its patents for custom XML in Word 2003 and Word 2007. In August, Texas U.S. District Court Judge Leonard Davis ordered Microsoft to pay in excess of $290 million and issued a permanent injunction against the software giant for what is known as the 449 patent.
The judge ruled that Microsoft willfully infringed on the patent and permanently enjoined Microsoft from selling Word 2003 and Word 2007 in the United States and using any infringing future Word products to open an XML file containing custom XML. The court also ruled that Microsoft can continue to offer technical support to current users of Word, but is not allowed to instruct new users on using the custom XML editor or to sell copies of Word with the disputed feature.
The 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 Jan. 11, 2010….
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