The emergency motion filed by Microsoft on August 18, with the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, largely cautions about "massive" business disruption in case the court order of the Word injunction is not stayed. Microsoft said that the injunction would "inflict irreparable harm on Microsoft by potentially keeping the centerpiece of its product line, Office, out of the market for months."

Microsoft's appeal against the banned distribution of Word software came after an earlier ruling by the US District Court Judge Leonard Davis, who said that the software maker had 'willfully' violated the patented technology of the Toronto-based firm i4i. Microsoft was also ordered to pay i4i $290 million in damages.

However, with Microsoft citing the need for urgency in the hearing of its appeal, an 'early' hearing has been scheduled for September 23. As the court has granted the emergency appeal, Microsoft is not required to pay anything till the time the appeal is resolved.

Meanwhile, saying that Microsoft's appeal was not convincing enough, and that the court's injunction decision was completely "merit"-based, Loudon Owen, the i4i Chairman, added that the case is "vital for inventors and entrepreneurial companies who, like i4i, are damaged by the willful infringement of their patents by competitors; particularly competitors as large and powerful as Microsoft."