The International Trade Commission has sided with Apple and Research in Motion on a preliminary basis regarding a complaint filed by Eastman Kodak last year, which alleges that both mobile phone manufacturers violated Kodak’s patents regarding the preview of images on mobile devices.
The judge presiding over the case has ruled that both companies are not violating Kodak’s patents in question. With the initial ruling now in place, Kodak’s position in regards to its patents is significantly weakened as it previously won rulings against Samsung and LG with similar complaints, leading to $1 billion in royalties paid to the imaging products and services giant.
Kodak’s Chief Intellectual Property Officer Laura Quatela has issued the following statement “We fully expect the ITC commission will ultimately rule that the patent claim at issue is valid and infringed by Apple and RIM.”
“This very same Kodak patent was upheld by a different ALJ at the ITC in our case against LG and Samsung, whose products use the very same Kodak technology to function in the very same manner as similar products from Apple and RIM. What’s more, the attorneys at the ITC’s Office of Unfair Import Investigations, which separately examined this case, agree with Kodak’s interpretation of the patent.”
The ITC’s final decision on the matter, with the full deliberation of the commission is expected by May 23rd.
