Microsoft has been ordered to pay $242 million to IPA Technologies for infringing on an IPA patent with its Cortana virtual assistant, according to a federal jury in Delaware. The jury found that Microsoft's voice recognition technology violates IPA's patent related to computer communication software.
IPA Technologies is a subsidiary of Wi-LAN, jointly owned by Canadian tech company Quarterhill and two investment firms. Microsoft maintains it did not violate IPA's patents and plans to appeal the verdict.
IPA filed the lawsuit in 2018, accusing Microsoft of infringing patents related to personal digital assistants. Microsoft argues the patent is invalid. IPA has also sued Google and Amazon for similar issues; Amazon won its case in 2021, while the Google case is still ongoing.
Key Points
Patent Infringement Verdict: A federal jury ruled that Microsoft's Cortana software infringed on an IPA Technologies patent, resulting in Microsoft being ordered to pay $242 million.
Microsoft's Response: Microsoft denies infringing on the patent and plans to appeal the decision.
FAQs
Q1. Why was Microsoft ordered to pay $242 million?
A federal jury found that Microsoft's Cortana software violated a patent owned by IPA Technologies. The jury ruled that Microsoft must pay $242 million in damages for infringing on this patent.
Q2. What did IPA Technologies claim Microsoft infringed upon?
IPA Technologies claimed that Microsoft's Cortana voice-recognition software violated one of their patents related to computer-communications software.
Q3. What is IPA Technologies, and who owns it?
IPA Technologies is a subsidiary of Wi-LAN, a patent-licensing company partly owned by Canadian tech firm Quarterhill and two investment companies.
Reference
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