Microsoft Corp. today announced that it will not, for now, implement modifications to its Windows® operating system or Microsoft® Internet Explorer as a result of the Eolas patent lawsuit. Given the present legal status as well as requests made by partners and customers, Microsoft will, for the time being, not move ahead with the modest steps it intended to take to modify Windows and Internet Explorer as a result of the August jury decision in the Eolas patent lawsuit.
Independent of the actions of the trial court in the Eolas lawsuit, the Commissioner of the Patent Office has announced that the Patent Office has determined that there are substantial questions concerning the validity of the Eolas patent. The action by the Patent Office may result in the cancellation of the Eolas patent. Given these circumstances, and after consulting industry colleagues and developers, Microsoft, for now, will not be releasing an update to Internet Explorer and does not plan on making the changes it announced in October to Windows XP Service Pack 2.
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