Microsoft And Salesforce.com Settle Patent Infringement Lawsuits
August 04, 2010 5:57 PM ET
Microsoft and Salesforce.com have settled their dueling patent infringement lawsuits, the two companies said Wednesday.
Microsoft said in a statement that the two reached an agreement “in which Salesforce.com will receive broad coverage under Microsoft’s patent portfolio for its products and services as well as its back-end server infrastructure during the term.”
Microsoft said it, in turn, “receives coverage under Salesforce.com’s patent portfolio for Microsoft’s products and services,” as part of the agreement.
Microsoft said the specific contents of the agreement would not be disclosed. But the company said “it is being compensated by Salesforce.com based on the strength of Microsoft’s leading patent portfolio in the areas of operating systems, cloud services and customer relationship management software.”
Salesforce did not issue a statement, but a spokeswoman confirmed the settlement and said the company “is pleased to put this litigation behind us.”
Microsoft fired the first shot May 18 when it filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Salesforce.com in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. Microsoft charged that Salesforce’s on-demand CRM application infringed nine Microsoft patents.
A little more than a month later Salesforce filed a countersuit in the U.S. District Court of Delaware, charging that Microsoft products such as SharePoint and the .Net platform violate Salesforce patents.
|
10 Letdowns From The Facebook IPO Filing It may make a lot of its employees millionaires, but Facebook's IPO filing was disappointing in a few areas. |
|
Seven Hot Business Apps For Mac OS X Macworld/iWorld, the new name for the Macworld expo, featured the first OS X Zone. The sold-out section of the showroom floor was dedicated to exhibitors with software and accessories for Apple's Mac desktops and laptops. |
|
The New Face Of Linux Distros In 2012 From specialized OSes for fixed functions like kiosks or security, to revamped GUIs on general operating systems, Linux desktops in 2012 are taking on a new look. |
 More
Slide Shows |
- Microsoft Details Windows-On-ARM Development Efforts
- Appcelerator Extends Mobile App Dev Reach With Cocoafish Buy
- Microsoft Taps Cisco Exec To Manage Public Sector Business
- Microsoft Sets Feb. 29 For Windows 8 Consumer Preview Release
- Salesforce Gives Help Desks A Social, Mobile Twist
- Salesforce Snags Former Federal CIO
- The Importance of Partner Enablement in a Changing Software Industry
- The Cloud Computing Opportunity – How to Effectively Tap into the Future of IT
- Seize the Cloud! Proven Near-Term Tactics From Successful Service Providers: Hear the Inside Secrets from the fastest growing $2m+ MSPs
- Open Source and the Channel: A Perfect Pairing
