Microsoft ordered to stop selling Word software by Jan 11

Upholding patent-infringement charges by a small Toronto firm agaist Microsoft Tuesday, a US appeals court ordered the software giant to stop selling Word by Jan 11 and pay $290 million in damages.

Microsoft said it will introduce the copies of Word 2007 and Office 2007 without the offending technology by the court-ordered deadline. Tuesday’s ruling upholds an earlier injunction against Microsoft that banned the technology giant from selling Word.

The ban was imposed by a Texas court in August after Toronto software firm i4i took Microsoft to court for stealing its patented technology for use in the software. The court had also granted $290 million in damages to the Toronto firm.

Microsoft challenged the ruling in the US Federal Circuit Court of Appeals. Tuesday’s ruling by a three-judge bench comes into effect from January 11 next year, banning sale of a number of versions of Microsoft’s word-processing software.

In its ruling, the appeals court in Washington said, “In this case, a small company was practicing its patent, only to suffer a loss of market share, brand recognition, and customer goodwill as the result of the defendant’s infringing acts.

“The district court (which imposed the ban in August) found that Microsoft captured 80 percent of the custom XML market with its infringing Word products, forcing i4i to change its business strategy.”

The patent stolen by Microsoft was filed by i4i filed in 1998. It pertains to the use of technology that can open documents using the XML computer programming language. The Toronto company said Microsoft stole this technology when it created Word 2003 and Word 2007 software.

Word is the mainstay of Microsoft’s business. Its sales accounted for 90 percent of the $18.9-billion earned by the software giant’s Microsoft Business division in 2008. Microsoft said it will have new versions of Word 2007 and Office 2007 without the technology patented by the Canadian firm.

In a statement, Microsoft public affairs director Kevin Kutz said his company has “put the wheels in motion to remove this little-used feature from these products.”

He expected that the copies Microsoft Word 2007 and Office 2007 without the offending technology will be available by January 11.

“In addition, the beta versions of Microsoft Word 2010 and Microsoft Office 2010, which are available now for downloading, do not contain the technology covered by the injunction,” he said.

Lauding the court verdict, i4i chairman Loudon Owen said in Toronto that he was “pleased with the ruling from the appeals court which upheld the lower court’s decision in its entirety. This is both a vindication for i4i and a war cry for talented inventors whose patents are infringed.”

The Canadian said, “The same guts and integrity that are needed to invent and go against the herd, are at the heart of success in patent litigation against a behemoth like Microsoft.”

Mamtha Mohandas Photoshoot

Back in mollywood ,there are just a few popular heroines ,frankly no one ever really match and cop with the heat generated by kollywood or tollywood actress.But Impressive mamta has a word of her own.Both tollywood and kollywood badly wants her .She not only has a pretty face but she has an impressive record in singing too. Mamta Mohandas debuted in a Malayalam film Mayookham in 2005.Even though this Hariharan film didn’t attract many, everybody was watching the sensitive portrayal of Mamta. Her next film was with Mammooty’s Bus conductor in 2005.She crated some sort of controversy after the movie Lanka .Her Tamil debut film was Karu pazhaniappan directed film ,Sivappathigaram with Vishal Krishna.Then her stepped in Telgu industry through the film Yamadaonga in 2007 which was directed by SS Rajamouli. In the year 2009, she made a real comeback to Malayalam through a suspense thriller Passenger opposite to Dileep.And in Tamil through Guru En Aalu opposite to madhavan. bad news for malayalis ,mamta has established herself in Tollywood.Mamtha Mohandas cute photos.....12 More images after a break.......

Shriya Saran Unseen Images

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Amitabh Visits Ailing Shammi Kapoor In Hospital - Gets Nostalgic

The greatest legend of all times Shammi Kapoor has been admitted to the Breach Candy Hospital with a chest infection — and one of the many fans visiting him was old friend Amitabh Bachchan. Amitabh made it a point to visit Kapoor, 78, Sunday itself, a day after he had been hospitalised.
“The evening started with a visit to Breach Candy Hospital where the great Shammi Kapoor has been admitted with a chest infection,” Amitabh wrote on his blog bigb.bigadda.com
“Seeing him confined to a bed has been disturbing, but his spirit and his will has been one that requires no words to express his nonchalant reserved demeanour. Shammi Kapoor, who sang and danced his way into our hearts from the snows of Kashmir to the endless soirees he held at his apartment in town. Sad to see him like this, but how wonderful to find his spirits alive and his humour intact,” he added.
Amitabh said he was nostalgic during the visit and recalled the times when he had to spend time in the same hospital. “Entering Breach Candy is always full of the (memories of) many difficult episodes we as a family went through. My illness in 1982 and 1983 and 1984 and the many visits of my father and my mother and the very special manner in which they took care of all of us,” he wrote.

Akshay Kumar’s Connection With Wife Twinkle

Recently the Khiladi madam Twinkle Khanna accompanied her husband for a couple of high profile events. “And I thought I had walked into the events alone because every time I turned and looked my husband was in front of a television crew giving interviews.
I had to finally request his bodyguards to drag him away,” she jokes. “When it comes to choosing between the media and me, my husband may just choose them,” she laughs.
Akshay admits that at most times he follows Twinkle around like a little lamb, only once in a way he gets a chance to actually stray, in the direction of a mike.

Salman Khan - What A Stunt !

Salman Khan suits the title of Veer perfectly as the star performed a life threatening scene not once, but twice, all for the sake of his upcoming film.
Reveals a production source, “A robbery scene required Salman to run on the top of a moving train. He did not use a stunt double, nor was he afraid. This stunt was a dangerous one, as one slip and he would have hit the ground and could have been pulled under the train with the speed it was moving in!”
“Salman Khan wanted another retake as he felt he could do it better,” confirms the source.
And in all this intensity Salman managed to keep spot on to his humor and in true Salman Khan style while the train would pull in reverse without a care in the world, Salman, we hear would lie down on the train until it was time for another take. Salman Khan surely is the real life Veer!

Vivek Oberoi’s Double Game

Now don’t get us wrong, it’s not like the actor’s seeing two women at the same time. Rather, Vivek Oberoi is practicing to write with both his hands!
Why’s that you ask? Well, that’s because the actor plays an ambidextrous man in his next film Prince — It’s Showtime, and wanted to perfect the way it looks on screen.
“I had white boards in my home and two markers. I would wake up in the mornings and would start writing simultaneously on it, so it looks great when you’re shooting these sequences,” says Vivek.

A Lawsuit Filed Against Amitabh Bachchan’s “Paa”

Its quite shocking but a lawsuit has been filed in a court charging Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan with violating the disabilities act through his latest film “Paa” in which he plays a 13-year-old boy suffering from progeria, which accelerates the ageing process. Big B has been accused of poking fun at people with disabilities. The case has been filed by Patna High Court lawyer Shruti Singh in the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate under The Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995. It has also been filed against “Paa” director R. Balkrishna.
“I filed a case in the court demanding a probe into whether ‘Paa’ violated the act or not,” Singh said.
“My stand is simple: If it violated the disability act, the authorities should act against the producer and actors of the film for making a joke of disabled people,” she added. She said the court will hear the case next week. According to Singh, the act is guided by the philosophy of empowering people with disabilities and their associates. The act endeavors to introduce an instrument for promoting equality and participation of people with disabilities on the one hand, and eliminating discrimination of all kinds on the other.

Vidya Balan Cherishes The Success Of ‘Paa’

The Parineeta girl Vidya Balan is extremely happy with an all around positive response that she has got for her role of an unwed mother in Paa. While keeping her emotions in check and not allowing all the appreciation to make her go overtly gaga, Vidya does admit though that such huge response has come to her four long years after her debut effort in Parineeta.
“I guess the wait has been worth it”, says Vidya who plays the mother of Auro, a 12 year old kid (played by Amitabh Bachchan) suffering from Progeria in Paa, “I was doing films and by God’s grace most of them were successful as well. However, the kind of respect that is coming the way of everyone associated with Paa is overwhelming, heart warming and above all humbling.”
It is this respect factor that has been the biggest moment for Vidya. When the film’s trial was held a few days back, she was convinced that the film would certainly be remembered for its sincerity, honesty and truthfulness. Though box office factor wasn’t to be ignored, she along with director Balki knew that at the least film would see good respectability coming its way.