U.S. Supreme Court justices questioned Monday whether they should side with Microsoft and weaken the legal standard needed to invalidate a patent, with some justices suggesting there are alternatives to changing established law.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office confirmed a patent held by i4i that has been at the heart of a dispute with Microsoft.

An appeals court has refused to rehear the case that ultimately forced Microsoft to remove a feature from Office 2007, leaving the U.S. Supreme Court as the software maker's most likely next step.

The U.S. Federal Court of Appeals has once again upheld a jury's verdict that Microsoft willfully infringed on patents awarded to i4i.

A federal appeals court today heard arguments in a patent infringement case involving Word that required Microsoft to pay nearly US$300 million in damages and barred the company from selling the software starting Oct. 10.

Microsoft marketed Canadian developer i4i's XML software to potential customers at the same time it planned to drive the small firm out of business by infringing its patent, according to court documents filed yesterday with an appeals court.

A panel of federal judges has granted Microsoft Corp.'s request for a fast-track appeal of the injunction that prohibits the company from selling its popular Word software after Oct. 10.

Microsoft on Tuesday asked a court to stay an injunction that could put a stop to sales of Microsoft Word.