Author Topic: Microsoft Told to Pay Alcatel-Lucent $1.52 Billion (Read 2214 times)

reyfer · « **on:** February 23, 2007, 04:28:29 AM »

Microsoft Corp., the world's biggest software company, must pay Alcatel-Lucent $1.52 billion for using digital music technology without permission, a federal jury said in the largest patent ruling ever.

ferrar1 · « **Reply #1 on:** February 23, 2007, 05:31:25 AM »

1.52B !!

crazy. I'll bet it would be reduced to something like 10M +-

JFC · « **Reply #2 on:** February 24, 2007, 01:53:27 AM »

So that equals about a week's worth of profits for Gates?

super_doops · « **Reply #3 on:** February 24, 2007, 10:43:55 PM »

that penalty will be a hit but not big enough to stop the big 'ol microsoft

frblckstr1 · « **Reply #4 on:** February 25, 2007, 08:21:25 AM »

^ I think you need to read-up on the article, Alcatel pulled a trick it looks like by using a jury.
Microsoft *was* paying royalties (to fraunhofer) for the mp3 format, Alcatal contented they had an earlier patent.

konrad · « **Reply #5 on:** February 25, 2007, 10:15:02 AM »

And it sets a president for making MP3 players illegal unless thy pay their Alcatel-Lucent fees.

Hopefully more players will start supporting non-MP3 codecs as a side effect of this. For example, how the Cowon units support FLAC.