In a filing with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Microsoft also asked for an expedited review of its appeal.

The moves follow an injunction issued by the court last week that said Microsoft had 60 days to stop selling Word products that let users create custom XML documents. The ruling, which also includes additional damages Microsoft must pay, was related to a patent infringement suit filed by i4i in 2007. The court has issued total damages against Microsoft of more than US$290 million.

The most common versions of Word on the market now, Word 2003 and Word 2007, both allow users to create custom XML documents.

If Microsoft doesn't win a stay, it may be able to develop a workaround that avoids using the technology in question or possibly strip the capability from the products.

I4i expected the appeal but will continue to enforce its patent, said Loudon Owen, chairman of i4i.