Microsoft patching Word for Mac over XML issue
Microsoft is preparing to patch Mac versions of Word over the i4i XML lawsuit, despite those editions not being covered by the ruling. It comes a week after Microsoft sent out a patch to existing users of Word 2007 on the PC.
Although the court case, which involved Microsoft breaching a patent on the way custom XML tags are handled in Word, only specified PCs, it appears the firm isn’t taking any chances. Spokesman Michael Kutz told Computerworld, “While Office for Mac products were not accused of infringement, we are changing the product to allay any potential concerns about compliance with the injunction.”
That’s probably a smart move. Given that the technology is largely the same, it’s clear that continuing to sell Word for the Mac without the patch is violating the principle of the ruling, if not the precise wording. Not patching Macs would have left Microsoft open to further action which would simply confuse its main argument: that the patent should never have been granted in the first place.
Microsoft has also sent out a patch to users of Word 2007 which tweaks the system to comply with the ruling; it’s the same patch sent to PC manufacturers to apply to all new machines sold from yesterday. A similar patch for Word 2003 is thought to be in development.
The patch appears aimed at anyone who buys a copy of the program after yesterday’s deadline which has somehow missed out the tweaking process. Microsoft says it will send a separate communication to these users informing them that it is mandatory to install the patch.
Meanwhile more details are emerging on Microsoft’s latest appeal against the ruling. It’s asking for all 12 judges from the federal appeals court to review the case (a panel of three heard the original appeal). It’s also questioning the court process which led to the determination of a $200 million damages award (which rose to $290 with legal fees and punishment for inappropriate behavior during the trial.)
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