In a ruling the US Supreme Court said that it would hear the software giant's appeal over damages relating to a patent dispute with AT&T.

Microsoft has claimed that AT&T's patent for converting speech into computer code as an infringement of its own technology.

A lower court had ruled that AT&T could seek royalties from the foreign sales of Microsoft's Windows programme that infringed the AT&T patent. Microsoft stands to gain millions if it wins the appeal.

The Supreme Court will now have to decide whether or not Microsoft is liable to pay for its overseas sales.

Earlier this year Microsoft and AT&T had reached an agreement over payments for the US sales of Windows, for which the software giant had acknowledged its liability.