Z4 renews legal attack against Microsoft

Having only yesterday won $140 million in damages from Microsoft, Z4 Technologies has today renewed its legal assault, filing another lawsuit. The second suit is an extension of the first, charging that the same product activation patents found to be violated earlier were also broken in the creation of Office and Windows Vista. Microsoft insists that it has done nothing wrong, and is now reviewing the case; the company's odds may not be good however, as legal precedent is already on Z4's side.

InfoWorld notes that Microsoft has also not endeared itself to the courts. It was originally asked to pay Z4 $115 million in April of 2006, but a penalty of $25 million (plus legal fees) was added in August of that year, as a judge accused the company of continuing its patent violation, while hiding evidence and working to get the patents declared unenforceable. Microsoft appealed the decision, which is why the final $140 million verdict was only issued Thursday.

Filed under: industry
Other story tags: Microsoft, Vista, Windows, Office, lawsuit, Z4