Microsoft is accused of patent infringement pending trial by both sides

A lawyer claimed that Microsoft had illegally obtained a technology from a Guatemala inventor that could link spreadsheet data between Microsoft's two kinds of software.

When Carlos Armando Amado filed a complaint, he claimed that he applied for a patent for the software in 1990. It could link the Microsoft EXCEL program with the ACCESS database program through a simple spreadsheet software. Two years later, he wanted to sell the software patents to Microsoft but did not close the deal.

Mr. Amado filed a claim for compensation for damages in the Central District Court of California, claiming that the amount of compensation may be up to 500 million U.S. dollars.

According to Amado, Microsoft used his software in various versions of ACCESS without his consent. He said that he had invented this technology when he studied at Stanford University.

The complaint did not specify the specific number of losses, but Mr. Amado’s lawyers estimate that each sale of software contains a $2 loss, which is approximately $500 million in the amount of software currently sold.

Microsoft's attorney, Joel Freed, questioned Mr. Amado’s request. He said that Microsoft had started to research the technology in 1989, three years earlier than Mr. Amado’s time selling its software to Microsoft.

The center of contention between the two parties is a patented technology. With this technology, computer users can use a spreadsheet software to convert data between EXCEL and ACCESS software.

Mr. Freed said that the plaintiff’s thief in the courtroom was simply ridiculous. He said, "No one has ever done this before the court." Microsoft spokesperson Stacy Drake said that Microsoft still has 35 patents that have been violated and have not been resolved.

To this end, the jury will begin a two-week trial.