A preliminary jury verdict of more than $500 million for alleged patent infringement in Internet Explorer against Microsoft will not lead to an appeal, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled. The Court has decided not to hear the case, which involves Eolas Technologies.

The August 2003 decision from a federal jury in Chicago sent shock waves across the Internet. If Eolas and its business partner, the University of California, eventually prevail, the effects could force a redesign of Web pages that use plug-in applications like Macromedia Flash and Adobe Acrobat that run inside a Web browser.
Microsoft hoped to show evidence of an earlier browser called Viola, which was seemingly demonstrated to other researchers a year before the University of California filed for its patent.