There are few executives more controversial, flamboyant and even boisterous than Loudon Owen, chairman of i4i, the Toronto company that successfully sued Microsoft and won.
I4i’s story this year is classic Goliath verses David. I4i won a court decision that ordered Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) to stop selling Word products in their current form in the U.S. The judge also ruled that Microsoft should pay an additional US$40 million for willful infringement of i4i patents and over US$37 million in prejudgment interest.
That brings total damages to more than US$290 million. I4i’s patent covers technology that lets end users manipulate document architecture and content. In a March 2007 suit, i4i charged Microsoft with willfully infringing its patent. Earlier this year, a jury in the Texas court ordered Microsoft to pay i4i US$200 million for infringing the patent.
Microsoft appealed of course, but the court win sent shockwaves throughout the industry. Front and centre was Owen, who said that if the injunction stands, end users who use custom XML in Word will have to find another way to create templates.
“Hopefully you’re going to call us because our intention is to support custom XML,” said Owen.
Owen said i4i is confident that the Final Judgment in favor of i4i was the correct decision and that i4i will prevail on the appeal. Microsoft then filed an Emergency Motion seeking more time to redesign Word and Office to comply with the Court Order.
Owen’s comment about the emergency motion:
“To paraphrase the great heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis, ‘they can run, but they can’t hide’. Microsoft’s time will eventually run out.”