Microsoft on Wednesday claimed a victory in a high-profile Web browser patent dispute, as an appeals court partially reversed a lower court decision that left the software giant exposed to $565 million in damages.
The case, brought by the University of California and its Eolas spinoff, had riled the Web community over potential ripple effects that could have forced changes in millions of Web pages. "Today"s appeals court decision...is a clear victory not only for Microsoft, but for Internet users as well," Microsoft said in a statement. "We have maintained throughout this process that the Eolas patent is not valid and today"s ruling is a clear affirmation of our position.