Court bans sale of Word and Microsoft promises quick fix

Microsoft has lost its case to appeal the recent injunction that would see its word processor, Microsoft Word, either remove functionality or force the company to stop selling the application.
Microsoft has been given until January 11 to remove the custom XML functionality — five months from the original August 2009 ruling
The injunction bars Microsoft from selling the 2003 and 2007 versions of Word inside the US after the injunction deadline and will require the company to remove the XML technology from its upcoming Office 2010 suite. Microsoft can continue to provide technical support to current Word users, but it’s barred from telling new users how to use the custom XML editor.
Microsoft said it has been working on making the change since the trial judge first ordered a halt in August and has “put the wheels in motion to remove this little-used feature from our products.”

Copies of Word 2007 and Office 2007 with the feature removed will be available for U.S. sale by Jan. 11, and “beta versions of Microsoft Word 2010 and Microsoft Office 2010, which are available now for downloading, don’t contain the technology covered by the injunction,” said Kevin Kutz, a company spokesman.

Sources: theregister.co.uk – bloomberg.com

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