Microsoft, Autodesk Fined $133 Million

A Michigan man has won a $133 million judgment against Microsoft and Autodesk in a Texas court after a jury found the two companies guilty of patent infringement. Of the total judgment, Microsoft would be responsible for $115 million and Autodesk $18 million, the Redmond company said.

David Colvin is the founder of z4 Technologies, a privately held Michigan company that offers DRM and other solutions to stop piracy. Colvin accused the two companies of infringing on his patents surrounding anti-piracy technologies.

Colvin's patents were used in Microsoft's Office productivity suite and Windows XP operating system, as well as Autodesk's AutoCad software, the suit alleged.

Microsoft said that it was disappointed with the verdict and was awaiting the resolution of all issues surrounding z4's case before deciding whether it would appeal.

The court has yet to rule on Microsoft's accusation that z4 withheld information from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office when applying for the patent in question. Microsoft contends that it was working on similar technologies long before z4's application for the patent was filed with the USPTO.

Neither Autodesk, Colvin, nor z4 have made any public comments regarding the case.