Microsoft has spent $440m to licence patents from digital rights firm InterTrust Technologies in a move which also resolves all outstanding litigation between the two companies.

The payment comes less than two weeks after Microsoft's $1.6bn legal settlement with Sun Microsystems to cover antitrust and patent issues.

InterTrust filed its intellectual property infringement suit in 2001.

The deal means that Microsoft users will not require a separate licence from InterTrust to use its digital rights software within Microsoft products, for example for music and films.

InterTrust receives rights under Microsoft patents to design and publish InterTrust reference technology specifications related to digital rights management and security.

In addition, software developers that build products using Microsoft platform technology will not need an InterTrust licence unless it is combined with third-party software.

Marshall Phelps, deputy general counsel and corporate vice president of intellectual property at Microsoft, said in a statement: "One of our goals with this and our broader IP licensing programme is to provide peace of mind for our customers and partners by letting them know that patent licensing is our responsibility."