Corel Software Sues Microsoft For Patents Related To Live Preview Feature In Office Apps

Reading time icon 2 min. read


Readers help support MSPoweruser. When you make a purchase using links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Tooltip Icon

Read the affiliate disclosure page to find out how can you help MSPoweruser effortlessly and without spending any money. Read more

Office Live Preview (Small)

Microsoft Office apps like Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook includes a feature called “Live Preview”. It allows users to preview changes to their document before they commit to finalize those changes. Live Preview comes into effect when, for example, you highlight text and open the font drop-down menu. Live Preview will show the text in each new font as you scroll through the options without actually changing the font.

Corel Software, the company behind WordPerfect has now sued Microsoft for infringing their patents related to this Live Preview feature.

WordPerfect’s RealTime preview feature (WordPerfect belongs to Corel):

Corel alleges that Microsoft’s infringement is willful. Among other things, the complaint says that “[i]n or around 2011, representatives for Corel engaged in communications with Microsoft regarding the potential sale of certain Corel patents to Microsoft, including [two of the three patents-in-suit].” The theories behind Corel’s willfulness allegations also include citations by Microsoft patent applications to some of those patents and the rejection of Microsoft patent applications by the United States Patent and Trademark Office because of certain Corel/WordPerfect patents.

15-07-27 Corel Software v. Microsoft Patent Infringement Complaint

Read more about it from FOSS Patents.

More about the topics: apps, Corel Software, Excel, microsoft, office, outlook, patent, powerpoint, word, WordPerfect