January eleven is/was the day by which Microsoft was necessary to stop selling versions of Workplace or components of it that incorporated the Customized XML technologies, as a result of the patent-infringement ruling versus the firm.Provided that Microsoft released to Pc makers a patch designed to remove the infringing technology at the end of final year, it looked such as the Softies were able to comply with the ruling over per month ago. But on or just prior to the actual compliance deadline, Microsoft ended up pulling existing copies of Office that included the technology from its different distribution channels and web sites, including the Microsoft online retailer, MSDN and TechNet.The products pulled/removed integrated a number of Office 2003, Word 2003, Workplace 2007 and Phrase 2007 SKUs. Microsoft officials advised several weblogs that the corporation planned to make available up to date versions of these goods soon through these identical distribution outlets, but didn;t offer an exact date. Computerworld mentioned that Microsoft supplied a patch Word 2003 over the weekend through its download middle, advising Workplace 2003 consumers to use it. Computerworld also stated Microsoft is organizing to patch Word 2004 and Word 2008 for your Mac as component of the i4i ruling. (I asked Microsoft to confirm this record of affected goods on January 11. So far, no word back again.)Update (January twelve): This just in from a Microsoft spokesperson using the Workplace staff. The complete checklist of goods Microsoft is updating as a result of the i4i ruling is:Word 2003 and Phrase 2007
Office 2003 Professional edition
Office 2007 all versions
Mac Workplace 2008
Word for Mac 2008All of those are in the process of being updated, the spokesperson mentioned. “They are uploaded as they are done. If you go to the (Microsoft) Retailer page,
Office Standard Key, Office 07 Home and Student, Professional, Ultimate, Mac Workplace 2008 for business are all out there now,
Windows 7 Enterprise Key,” he added.I wonder whether Microsoft officials were so convinced the patent-infringement verdict versus the corporation was going to be overturned that they didn;t have a “Plan B” in place to patch Workplace in time for the court-set deadline. Either that or some in the firm wanted to show just how disruptive the i4i ruling would be by making Office/Word unavailable for a while. (Yes, that sounds like a tin-foil-hat conspiracy theory, but such a move wouldn;t be unprecedented. Look what happened with
Windows 7E, the browserless version of
Windows 7 that Microsoft nearly foisted on European users to make a point…)Here;s Microsoft;s officials statement on what it;s doing,
Office 2010 Product Key, courtesy of Michael Croan, Sr. Marketing Manager, Microsoft Office”“We’ve taken steps to comply together with the court’s ruling and we;re introducing the revised software into the U.S. market place. This procedure will be imperceptible to the vast majority of consumers, who will find both trial and purchase options easily readily available.“We’ve modified Microsoft Phrase and are in the method of introducing the new software into our distribution channels. The method won’t take long,
Office 2010 Professional Plus X86, and inside the meantime consumers outside the U.S. still have all of their on-line purchase options readily available. Inside the U.S., Workplace Ultimate,
Buy Windows 7 Starter, the Home & Student suite and Workplace Expert are already offered for online purchase and download, and the other suites are accessible retail outlets.”In December, Microsoft lost its appeal of the patent-infringement case involving Customized XML technologies that was instigated by Toronto-based i4i. Late last week, Microsoft officials requested a rehearing, claiming the $290 million or so ruling towards the organization was “egregiously excessive.”