OK, so Microsoft isn't explicitly telling its customers to stock up on Microsoft Office licenses now, before a Jan. 11 injunction requires all new copies to be stripped of a technology found to infringe on a smaller company's patent. But that's one obvious effect of a message sent by the company to its business customers this weekend, informing them of the ruling in the i4i Custom XML dispute.

XML expert Alexander Falk posted a copy of the letter today. It explains the terms of the court ruling and reads, in part ...

This injunction only applies to new Microsoft Word and Microsoft Office licenses purchased from Microsoft on or after January 11, 2010 in or for deployment in the United States or its territories. If you are only using licenses acquired prior to January 11, 2010, you do not need to take any action.

Microsoft has updated Microsoft Word 2007 and Microsoft Office 2007 to remove the disputed functionality, which pertains to custom XML tagging. Microsoft has also created a software update for Word 2003 and Office 2003. In the vast majority of cases this functionality is not in use and requires development knowledge to implement. ...

In accordance with Microsoft Volume License agreement provisions, we hereby notify you that any future deployment of Microsoft Word 2003 and 2007 or Microsoft Office 2003 and 2007 purchased after January 10, 2010 for use in the United States or its territories must use updated software.

If you plan future deployments of Microsoft Word 2003 and 2007 or Microsoft Office 2003 and 2007 based on licenses that you purchase before January 11, 2010, no action is required and you may continue to deploy your existing version of these products.

In other words, the message is saying, make sure your software has been purchased before the deadline, if you're going to want to deploy additional copies of Office with Custom XML in the future.

Will Office sales to businesses jump noticeably in the next week as a result? Probably not, if you take at face value Microsoft's statement above that not many companies rely on the feature. But for the companies that do use the feature -- or are even thinking about it -- it would be tough to read the letter and not at least contemplate buying a batch of Office licenses in the next week, if they don't already have them in reserve.

Of course, even if there were a modest spike in sales, it would only account for a small chunk of the $290 million judgment against the company in the case. (Microsoft has said it might still appeal.) But it's not every company that can manage to turn a negative court ruling into a chance to sell more of its product.