$75 Million Penalty for Microsoft

Microsoft will possibly be paying damages amounting to $75 million for patent infringement in Korea. In a Supreme Court ruling last week, judges denied Microsoft's request to invalidate patents obtained by Professor Lee Keung-Hae of the Hankuk Aviation University in 1997.

Representing Lee Keung-Hae, P&IB is suing Microsoft for using in its Office suite the patented program in question that enables automatic translation between English and Korean.

Microsoft needs to own the patent since it values its currently good position in the fast-expanding Asian market. If Microsoft loses this case, they will be forced to stop selling their MS Office suite.

Microsoft, a multi-billion computer technology corporation, is popular for its Microsoft Windows operating system particularly the Microsoft Office. The company also sells computer hardware items and home entertainment devices.

Lawyer Chung Jae-hoon who represents Microsoft in this controversial case said he is optimistic that the patents would be invalidated.