An US court has ordered Microsoft to pay $388 million (264 million) in damages to Uniloc, after losing a patent suit.
Uniloc, which makes anti-piracy software, filed the suit against Microsoft over the anti-piracy software registration in its Product Activation system. Microsoft in turn claimed it developed the system on its own.
"They've been struggling for six years against Microsoft the giant, and finally, justice has prevailed," the firm's lawyer Paul Hayes told the Associated Press (AP).
Microsoft said that it was "very disappointed" with the verdict and planned to appeal. "We believe that we do not infringe, that the patent is invalid and that this award of damages is legally and factually unsupported," a Microsoft spokesman said in a statement.
This week, Microsoft was also fined $11.9 million (8.1 million) by a German court over allegations of price fixing on its Office Home and Student 2007 software.
