Microsoft has workaround for Word

Microsoft has been making plans for Word since the original District Court verdict

Microsoft has responded to the Court of Appeals decision ruling yesterday which confirmed that the software giant will have to stop selling certain patent-infringing versions of its Microsoft Word software.

In a brief statement, Redmond’s director of public affairs, Kevin Kutz, confirmed that the ruling would only apply to copies of Microsoft Word 2007 and Microsoft Office 2007 sold in the US on or after the injunction date of 11 January 2010.

He added that the firm had been preparing for such an eventuality and would soon be able to start selling new versions of the software without the patent-infringing technology included.

“With respect to Microsoft Word 2007 and Microsoft Office 2007, we have been preparing for this possibility since the District Court issued its injunction in August 2009 and have put the wheels in motion to remove this little-used feature from these products,” he explained.

"Therefore, we expect to have copies of Microsoft Word 2007 and Office 2007, with this feature removed, available for U.S. sale and distribution by the injunction date. 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.”

However Kutz did not rule out the possibility of further legal action.

“While we are moving quickly to address the injunction issue, we are also considering our legal options, which could include a request for a rehearing by the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals en banc or a request for a writ of certiorari from the US Supreme Court,” he added.