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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

3m Sues Microsoft For Patent Violation

From Staff And Wire Reports

The 3M Co. has filed a lawsuit against Microsoft, accusing the giant software company of patent infringement for creating an electronic version of 3M’s Post-it notes in Microsoft’s Office 97.

In the federal suit filed last week, 3M says Microsoft’s electronic notes feature is so similar to 3M’s year-old software version of Post-it notes that consumers will confuse the two products.

Microsoft Office 97 users can access the notes feature by entering “Post-It” or “3M Post-it,” the suit says. Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing Co. says it has not approved the Microsoft product and is not connected with it.

Mark Murray, a Microsoft spokesman, said Microsoft has had general discussions with 3M about the product. “We don’t believe we are infringing on their trademark,” he said.