Microsoft wins appeal in Uniloc patent case
- 01 October, 2009 07:41
- Comments
Microsoft will not have to pay $388 million to a security software company for infringing on a patent, U.S. District Judge William Smith ruled Tuesday.
Uniloc, which has headquarters in California, had accused Microsoft of infringing a patent related to the antipiracy software-registration system Microsoft uses as part of its product activation.
Microsoft's successful appeal comes after a jury found in April that the company violated Uniloc's patent, which Smith vacated Tuesday.
The case was heard in U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island.
The case, originally filed in September 2003, has taken several turns. Prior to the April decision, the same U.S. District Court found that no infringement had occurred.
But in August 2008, the U.S. Court of Appeals reversed that decision and sent the case back to the District Court for a re-trial, which ruled against Microsoft.
Microsoft's product-activation procedure links software to particular machines, which is intended to reduce piracy.
The applications can be reinstalled repeatedly on the same computer, but not installed on other ones.
Uniloc was not immediately available for comment.
Recommended
Join the CIO Australia group on LinkedIn. The group is open to CIOs, IT Directors, COOs, CTOs and senior IT managers.
- Bookmark this page
- Share this article
- Got more on this story? Email CIO
- Follow CIO on twitter
- Best Practice in BYOD
- Detecting APT Activity with Network Traffic Analysis
- Integrated Computing Platforms: Infrastructure Builds for Tomorrow’s Data Centre
- Vodafone Ireland Implements World-Class Service Excellence with HP BSM
- Power of Three: Building Mobile Initiatives Guided by Business Goals, Technology and Governance
-
Australia suspected to have PRISM data: Ludlam
-
Australia Post’s mail business to lose $200 million this year
-
Australia Post’s mail business to lose $200 million this year
-
Microsoft's ambivalence about Office on the Web gives Apple shot with iWork on iCloud
-
3 Lessons Learned From a Failed Customer Feedback Test
-
Top 10 Reasons You Don’t Need MDM
Even though companies such as Fiberlink make it easy to centralise the management and security of mobile devices of all shapes and sizes, that is no excuse for capitulating to the whims of the masses, to bolster your career by trying to be hip and trendy and au courant. If you allow progress here, next thing you know, the company will be asking you to enable business in the cloud. Where will it all end? So, before you take that fatal next step in allowing mobility, security, BYOD and user flexibility, carefully read these top 10 reasons why you don’t need mobile device management. -
Top 10 Mistakes in Data Centre Operations: Operating Efficient and Effective Data Centres
How can you avoid making major mistakes when operating and maintaining your data centre(s)? The key lies in the methodology behind your operations and maintenance program. This whitepaper explores the top ten mistakes in data centre operations. Read now. -
IDC Insight: Saving Time and Money with Savvy Use of Flash in Automated Storage Tiering
Storage optimisation and Flash technologies are here to stay. There is also no doubt that unprecedented data growth will continue to strain organisations everywhere. Download this IDC whitepaper to learn more about the cost-effective solution that has helped many organisations increase the productivity of their storage resources.
Get exclusive access to Invitation only events CIO, reports & analysis. 
