March 11, 2005

Appeals-Court Ruling Favors Microsoft in Challenge to U. of California Web-Browser Patents

By ANDREA L. FOSTER

The University of California's assertion that its patent on an important Web-browser technology is valid suffered another setback last week when a federal appeals court ruled that key evidence in a challenge brought by the Microsoft Corporation was improperly withheld from a federal jury that ruled in favor of the university in 2003.

At the heart of the case is a lingering dispute between the university and Microsoft over who owns a method for launching and displaying applications like