Microsoft granted injunction to continue selling Word

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has granted an injunction to Microsoft allowing it to continue to sell Word until the appeal against its case with i4i is resolved.

The company had been due to stop selling Word by court order on 10 October but the injunction will mean the company and OEMs will still be able to sell the software.

Dell and HP had both filed briefs supporting the extension of Microsoft’s selling the application, saying it would disrupt their business.

"We are happy with the result and look forward to presenting our arguments on the main issues on September 23," Microsoft spokesman Kevin Kutz said in a statement.

In August a Texas court ruled that Microsoft was in breach of a patent held by i4i over its use of XML in Word 2003 and 2007. The court fine Microsoft US$290 million ($345 million) and told it to stop selling the software within 60 days.