Microsoft and Salesforce settle patent spat

Microsoft and Salesforce had been in dispute over CRM software components

Salesforce and Microsoft have agreed an out-of-court settlement on a patent conflict concerning software used by customer relationship management applications.

Microsoft had sued Salesforce regarding certain menu and interface components, claiming that they infringed on Microsoft's intellectual property. Salesforce countersued, arguing that .Net and SharePoint infringed on its patents.

The two companies have now agreed a deal under which the disputed patents will be licensed to each other. In addition Salesforce will pay an undisclosed sum to Microsoft to reflect the strength of its patent portfolio.

"We are pleased to reach this agreement with Salesforce to put an end to the litigation between our two companies," said Horacio Gutiérrez, corporate vice president and deputy general counsel for intellectual property and licensing at Microsoft.

"Microsoft's patent portfolio is the strongest in the software industry, and is the result of decades of innovation.

"Today's agreement is an example of how companies can compete vigorously in the marketplace while respecting each other's intellectual property rights."