Symantec, Alcatel Patent Disputes

Two patent-infringement lawsuits reached notable milestones in Apr. 2008, as Microsoft and Symantec settled their dispute over data-storage technology, and a jury found that Microsoft had infringed Alcatel-Lucent patents related to user interface technology.

Symantec. In May 2006, Symantec filed a suit in district court accusing Microsoft of breach of contract and intellectual property violations, saying that Microsoft licensed technology from a Veritas product called Volume Manager, which is used to manage data storage on servers, and then used the knowledge gained from this license to develop competing products and to incorporate similar technology into Windows. (Symantec acquired Veritas in 2005.) In Apr. 2008, the two companies announced a settlement, but did not disclose terms or details.

Alcatel-Lucent. A jury in the U.S. District Court for Southern California (San Diego) has found Microsoft guilty of violating two patents held by Alcatel-Lucent related to user interface technology on touch-screen computers and has fined Microsoft US$368 million in damages. The patents covered the ability of users to enter data into forms on touch screens and stylus technology used in handwriting recognition. Microsoft will appeal the verdict.