Eolas Responds on Explorer Patent Claim

The University of California and Eolas Technologies Inc have taken the latest step in their battle with Microsoft Corp, responding to an investigation of its claimed patent.

Eolas has reportedly filed a 10-page reply to the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), after the department instituted an investigation of Eolas' browser patent - the subject of Eolas' claim against Microsoft.

USPTO inaugurated a "director-ordered" review of Eolas' patent, claiming the existence of prior art. Earlier, World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) director Tim Berners-Lee made headlines saying the patent could cause "widespread and irreparable harm" to innocent users, when a US court awarded Eolas $520.6m in damages after finding Internet Explorer infringed on Eolas' plug-in technology.