@TheNino85 - i4i registered that patent way before XML became an industry standard, far before it was "incredibly obvious". And they filed the lawsuit the moment they learned Microsoft was infringing on it. Also, I don't think they were claiming they "own" XML, so much as they "own" a certain usage of XML that Microsoft infringed on. There's a difference, and it's incredibly major. Not to mention they're not as "small a company" as you're making them out to be. If the damages for this were deemed $290 million, then they're likely worth at least that much. That's... not a very small business.
However, I think ol' M$ will moneyhat this company. If Word is worth $3b/year to M$, then this meager $290m won't hold them back. They'll find a solution, and it'll probably involve permanent ownership.
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