Microsoft and Eolas have settled their high-profile patent dispute over technology in Internet Explorer, reports Todd Bishop at SeattlePI. Microsoft was previously hit with a judgment of about $565 million in this case, and went through multiple claims and counter-claims. In this latest settlement, the cost to Microsoft isn’t clear. Eolas board anticipates paying a dividend to shareholders of between $60 and $72 per share --Eolas is privately held--but the agreement prevents Eolas and Microsoft from disclosing the terms.

Eolas, a University of California spin-off, had alleged that IE violated its patent for accessing interactive content on Web pages. Wikipedia has a history of the case.