Today in Chicago, a jury reached a verdict in the Eolas Technologies patent-infringement case against Microsoft Corporation. The jury found against Microsoft and awarded Eolas Technologies US$521 million. This is less than the approximately $1.2 billion Eolas was seeking in this trial. Microsoft intends to appeal today’s ruling to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The following is a statement from the company on today’s ruling:

While today’s outcome is disappointing, we do plan to appeal this decision and we are confident the facts and the law will support our position. It’s important to note that the court has already rejected claims that there was any willful infringement. We believe the evidence will ultimately show that there was no infringement of any kind, and that the accused feature in our browser technology was developed by our own engineers based on pre-existing Microsoft technology. As an intellectual property company, Microsoft invests heavily in research and development, and is committed to respecting the intellectual property rights of others. Microsoft stands by its products and will continue to develop innovative technologies that benefit consumers. Regardless of the ultimate outcome of this case, Microsoft will work hard to ensure that there is very little if any impact on our customers.