Microsoft Word to stop sales in U.S. for patent violation

Microsoft Corporation may have to stop the sales of Microsoft Word in U.S. markets after finding the software contains technology which violates a patent held by a Canadian company, according to reports on Thursday.

On Tuesday, a U.S. district court in Texas issued a permanent injunction which bars Microsoft from selling recent versions of its Word software because it violates a patent held by i4i Incorporation. The court found Microsoft had infringed on the patent for its software that manipulates "document architecture and content."

I4i, a Toronto-based software producer, has been battling Microsoft over a patent related to Extensible Markup Language (XML). XML is a key software component of many websites as well as Word and other programs.

The judge also awarded the Canadian company damages of about 290 million U.S. dollars.

Microsoft, in a statement, said it would appeal the verdict. It must appeal within 60 days of the judgment.

Microsoft Word is a core component of Microsoft Office, part of the largest revenue-generating unit of Microsoft's business, and is used by millions of people worldwide.