Court Fines Microsoft $242 Million For Stealing Technology When Creating Cortana

Last Friday in Delaware (USA) the final court hearing was held in the lawsuit by IPA Technologies, which accused Microsoft of violating its patents when creating the Cortana voice assistant. After the trial, the jury agreed with the IPA’s argument that Cortana’s voice recognition technology infringed its computer communications software patent and awarded Microsoft a $242 million fine.

The legal case began two years ago when IPA Technologies filed a lawsuit alleging that Microsoft was using its technology without a license. The dispute concerned specific patents for software that allows devices to perceive and process human speech. The technology was key to the creation of Cortana, which has become one of Microsoft’s flagship artificial intelligence products, IPA said.

During court hearings, IPA’s lawyers presented technical details and expert testimony confirming that Microsoft used proprietary technology without entering into an appropriate licensing agreement. The defendant, in turn, tried to challenge the uniqueness of these technologies and present evidence of his own developments in this area, which preceded the receipt of patents by the plaintiff.

The IPA has also sued Google and Amazon over infringement of its patents.