Potlatch purchases Michigan sawmill

Potlatch Corp. has agreed to buy a sawmill in Gwinn, Mich., from Louisiana-Pacific Corp. for an undisclosed sum.

The sale is expected to close in early May. The Gwinn mill produces jack pine/red pine studs, which makes it a good strategic fit with Potlatch’s sawmill in Bemidji, Minn., said Penn Siegel, Potlatch’s chairman and chief executive officer. The Bemidji mill also produces pine studs.

The Gwinn mill was built in the mid-1990s. Potlatch will make some initial capital improvements to the mill, including additional kiln-drying capacity, and hopes to increase the production on each shift, officials said.

America West, US Airways talking merger

America West Airlines, the nation’s eighth largest carrier, confirmed Friday that it’s in merger talks with US Airways, but said there’s no assurance that the discussions will lead to a deal.

Earlier this week Arlington, Va.-based US Airways, which plans to emerge from bankruptcy protection later this year, had said it was in advanced discussions with America West to create an airline with nationwide reach.

America West considered buying ATA Airlines late last year after the Indianapolis-based airline filed for Chapter 11, but it eventually backed away as the cost of the transaction escalated.

Forgent sues Microsoft over patent

Microsoft Corp. faces a patent infringement claim from a small Texas company over technology that’s used in JPEG files, one of the most common image formats.

Forgent Networks Inc. of Austin filed suit in U.S. District Court for Eastern Texas, said Michael Noonan, director of investor relations at Forgent.

The patent, which expires in October next year, was granted in 1987 to Forgent unit Compression Labs Inc., Noonan said.

Microsoft earlier this month filed for a declaratory judgment for non-infringement.

Ryanair gets discount on large Boeing order

Irish budget airline Ryanair Holdings PLC will pay $3.57 billion for the 70 Boeing Co. airplanes it has ordered, a large discount on the listed price, the carrier said Friday.

The price for each 737-800 airplane will be about $51 million, including the engines and some optional features, Dublin-based Ryanair said in a regulatory filing.

Boeing’s list price for that model, according to the Boeing Web site, is a range of $61.5 million to $69.5 million. Boeing spokesman Todd Blecher said it’s not unusual for the manufacturer to offer discounts for large orders.