nancy_gohring
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Microsoft, Alcatel-Lucent settle dispute

news
Jan 18, 20122 mins

The case revolved around the so-called Day patent, which Microsoft was found to use in Outlook

Microsoft and Alcatel-Lucent have settled a patent dispute, following a jury verdict last year that would have had Microsoft pay $70 million for infringement.

The companies did not reveal details of the deal, but Microsoft said the settlement is “to the satisfaction of both parties,” in a statement.

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The case revolves around the so-called Day patent, which Microsoft was found to use in Outlook when it lets someone add an appointment to a calendar by clicking on a calendar date and entering information in the field with the relevant date. The patent was initially awarded to a division of AT&T that was spun off as Lucent and was ultimately acquired by Alcatel.

Last year a jury said Microsoft should pay Alcatel-Lucent for infringing the patent. But in October, after Microsoft appealed, the court knocked down that payment to $26.3 million.

In the order dismissing the case, the court said that Microsoft and Alcatel-Lucent will pay their own costs and attorneys fees.

Nancy Gohring covers mobile phones and cloud computing for The IDG News Service. Follow Nancy on Twitter at @idgnancy. Nancy’s e-mail address is Nancy_Gohring@idg.com

nancy_gohring

Nancy Gohring is a freelance journalist who started writing about mobile phones just in time to cover the transition to digital. She's written about PCs from Hanover, cellular networks from Singapore, wireless standards from Cyprus, cloud computing from Seattle and just about any technology subject you can think of from Las Vegas. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, Computerworld, Wired, the Seattle Times and other well-respected publications.

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