Microsoft Denies UC Patent Claim

Microsoft Corp. told a federal jury in its opening statement that its Internet Explorer Web browser didn’t infringe a University of California patent, arguing that the browser uses a different technology and that the university’s invention didn’t work.

Eolas Technologies Inc., a closely held Chicago-based company founded by former professor Michael Doyle, sued in 1999, claiming Microsoft infringed a patented method that allows a Web browser to access interactive application programs. The UC system later joined the suit, which seeks as much as $1.2 billion in damages.

Shares of Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft fell 23 cents to $27.47 on Nasdaq.