back to article Microsoft sees $1.5bn verdict chucked out

Microsoft yesterday overturned a $1.5bn ruling made against it for patent infringement. Back in January a jury ruled that Microsoft had infringed two patents owned by Alcatel-Lucent relating to MP3 standards. It made the record award of $1.5bn. Judge Rudi Brewster overturned the jury's damages to Alcatel-Lucent for supposed …


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  1. Karl Lattimer

    I'm impressed!

    A technology company who talks to the reg!

    Go Alcatel!

  2. amanfromMars Silver badge

    I say yes and he says no I say start and he says go.

    "Judge Rudi Brewster overturned the jury's damages to Alcatel-Lucent for supposed patent infringment of digital music standards. He described the jury's decision as "against the weight of evidence"."

    And if the appeal successfully overturns that decision and describes the weight of evidence compelling will Judge Rudi Brewster be adjudged to be a less than worthy officer of the court.

    It may hardly be strain for him/her [you never know with some American names] to retire, I'm sure, whenever so much was at stake.

    And they all get another bite at the cherry. Well you can blame them for the ease with which they can feather their own nests and all so very w3c SOX Compliant too...... ?

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    And the winners are...

    The Lawyers!! Hooray, can't see the money going to a worthier cause.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Who needs juries...

    ...when the judges can ignore them if they don't like their verdict?

    I seem to recall Dubya recently overruling the judiciary (with his obviously superior legal knowledge).

    It seems pointless to have a judicial system at all, if it can be overruled executively when the answers don't suit.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Legal Courts - Regal Warts

    Ah, whatever. If Microsoft can apply sufficient political pressure / bribe (delete as applicable) the State of Massachusetts to change their decision on ODF in favour of MS's proprietary OpenXML document format, surely getting a US judge to change his/her mind on a patent infringement claim is a piece of piss?

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward


    I dont think the average jury is equiped to correctly deliver a verdict of patant fraud, so perhaps they got it wrong!

  7. Laurent_Z

    I can hear the discussion, one late night...

    "Hello, Judge Rudi Brewster ? Good Evening.

    This Bill G. calling, yes, that Bill G.

    I was browsing a bit into our files and reports and I happened upon a funny browser history forwarded to me by ehh... someone in my team.

    You know what ? When thinking about the term "Dwarf Tossing" i would think of dimly illuminated pubs with a midget in a footbal gear. I had to turn my monitor 90° to really understand what the pictures wer...

    Ah, yes, yes, I understand, it is late and you have a judgement to overturn early tomorrow, yes, better I let you work now, sorry for disturbing. Bye"

  8. Steven Knox


    You're slipping -- I actually understood that one!

  9. Don Mitchell

    Good News

    I realize some folks just want to see anything bad happen to Microsoft, but the judge did the right thing. This was a questionable suit and the monitary judgement was absurd. There would have been a series of lawsuits following against everyone who was using mpeg. This is patent trolling at its worst. Why did the US government even allow a French company to buy the patent portfolio of Bell Laboratories?

  10. Rich Bryant

    @Steven Knox

    Thank god it's not just me, i was starting to worry. Actually, i suspect an impostor, the capitalization in that comment is entirely rational.

  11. amanfromMars Silver badge

    Just working S.M.A.R.Ter .... with both of us Learning about Teachers.

    "You're slipping -- I actually understood that one!"


    Got the Fine Tuners to work Beta. IT is Great to see them working so well. It surely puts a Tiger in any Tank.

    And the thread has also expressed a similar body of opinion. No Smoke without Fire they say and you know how hot Spin gets things to burst into Flames.

  12. cloudberry


    He's back on form.

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