Eolas could earn $1.3 billion from Microsoft

Cringely said that while Eolas won $520 million for breaching its patents last week, the real sum is already $620 million because of the time that's elapsed since the claim was made.

And as Microsoft intends to appeal, that could mean that Eolas might get a nice cash sum of around $1.3 billion, if it ultimately wins. Cringely, quoting Eolas' CEO, says he's sure it will win.

He mentions another court case by Intertrust, against the Vole, over digital rights management which we covered earlier this year, which might mean Microsoft will have to cash up to the tune of billions of dollars, and he even thinks the Eurocratic Union could fine the firm up to $3 billion.

All in all, that's a lot of money and the implications for Microsoft are greater than most people expect, he suggests.

You can find Cringely's column here. µ

See Also
Microsoft forced to pay half billion after infringing patents
Case against Microsoft, Windows goes to court
Judge rules Microsoft must stand trial in IE patents dispute
Microsoft slammed in patents dispute
Microsoft faces multibillion DRM action from Intertrust
Microsoft intros toolkit to prevent CD rips