The U.S. Supreme Court today ruled in favor of McKool Smith clients i4i Limited Partnership and i4i Inc. in a closely watched appeal of an earlier $290 million patent infringement judgment against software giant Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT).

 

The unanimous Supreme Court ruling issued June 9, 2011, affirms a $290 million judgment won by McKool Smith on behalf of i4i in May 2009 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Tyler Division.

 

McKool Smith principal Doug Cawley worked as lead trial counsel for i4i. He says today’s ruling is an important victory for patent holders everywhere.

 

“We are very pleased that the High Court agreed with our position that Congress intended a heightened standard of evidence to invalidate a patent,” said Mr. Cawley. “Today’s ruling, which enforces the Federal Circuit’s historical reliance on ‘clear and convincing evidence,’ will have a sweeping impact on how patents are protected.”

 

During the trial, attorneys from McKool Smith and Tyler, Texas-based Parker, Bunt & Ainsworth successfully argued that Microsoft infringed the i4i patent issued in 1998, U.S. Patent No. 5,787,499, which covers software designed to manipulate “document architecture and content.”

 

In addition to Mr. Cawley, the McKool Smith team representing i4i included firm principals Gordon White, Jeff Carter, Kevin Burgess, John Campbell, Randy Carter, Tom Crisman, Robert Goodfriend, Jill Lynch, Rosemary Snider, and Joel Thollander, senior counsel Tom Fasone and Martin Robson, of counsel Al Silva, and associates Sarah Anderson, Gretchen Curran, Austin Curry, Craig Donahue, Jennifer Henry and Jonathan Yim. Robert M. Parker from Parker, Bunt & Ainsworth also represented i4i as co-counsel.