May 10 (Reuters) - Microsoft ( MSFT ) must pay patent

owner IPA Technologies $242 million, a federal jury in Delaware

said on Friday after determining that Microsoft's ( MSFT ) Cortana

virtual-assistant software infringed an IPA patent.

The jury agreed with IPA after a week-long trial that

Microsoft's ( MSFT ) voice-recognition technology violates IPA's patent

rights in computer-communications software.

IPA is a subsidiary of patent-licensing company Wi-LAN,

which is jointly owned by Canadian technology company

Quarterhill ( QTRHF ) and two investment firms. It bought the

patent and others from SRI International's Siri Inc, which Apple

acquired in 2010 and whose technology it used in its Siri

virtual assistant.

"We remain confident that Microsoft ( MSFT ) never infringed on IPA's

patents and will appeal," a Microsoft ( MSFT ) spokesperson said.

Representatives for IPA and Wi-LAN did not immediately

respond to a request for comment on the verdict.

IPA filed the lawsuit in 2018, accusing Microsoft ( MSFT ) of

infringing patents related to personal digital assistants and

voice-based data navigation.

The case was later narrowed to concern one IPA patent.

Microsoft ( MSFT ) argued that it does not infringe and that the patent

is invalid.

IPA has also sued Google and Amazon over its patents. Amazon

defeated IPA's lawsuit in 2021, and the Google case is still

ongoing.