RIM, Apple patent ruling upheld

NEW YORK – The U.S. International Trade Commission has affirmed a prior ruling that an Eastman Kodak patent asserted in a complaint against Apple Inc. and Research In Motion is invalid, according to a notice issued late Friday.
 
Kodak said Saturday it would appeal the ruling.
 
In May, ITC Administrative Law Judge Thomas Pender found that Apple’s iPhone 3G and some RIM BlackBerry devices infringe the Kodak patent, U.S. Patent No. 6,292,218, but also ruled that the patent itself is invalid. In essence, the decision determined that Kodak’s claim was invalid.
 
Kodak, RIM and Apple separately petitioned the ITC for a review of different parts of the decision.
 
Late Friday, the U.S. ITC affirmed Pender’s decision. “The investigation is thus terminated with a finding of no violation,” the ITC said in a brief notice.
RELATED CONTENT
Kodak to sell digital patents
 
The ITC said it would offer more details behind its ruling in a forthcoming opinion.

Kodak filed the complaint in January 2010. Kodak’s patent claim is for technology for previewing an image on a digital camera’s LCD screen before the image is captured. Though Kodak said the claim is for “fundamental” digital camera technology, Pender ruled that it was invalid.
 
The ITC decision is another blow for financially beleaguered Kodak, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January. It had announced that it intended to sell some of its intellectual-property assets. Kodak also previously said that it has more than 1,000 other digital-image related patents.
 
However, Kodak said it intends to appeal the ITC ruling.
 
“We intend to appeal  the ruling on validity to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit,” according to a statement sent via email Saturday by a Kodak spokesman. “The validity of the ’218 patent has been upheld in previous litigation at the ITC, and was affirmed by the U.S. Patent and Trade Office in the face of two separate challenges, so we are confident that its validity will ultimately be upheld.”
 

Would you recommend this article?

Share

Thanks for taking the time to let us know what you think of this article!
We'd love to hear your opinion about this or any other story you read in our publication.


Jim Love, Chief Content Officer, IT World Canada

Featured Download

Featured Articles

Empowering the hybrid workforce: how technology can build a better employee experience

Across the country, employees from organizations of all sizes expect flexibility...

What’s behind the best customer experience: How to make it real for your business

The best customer experience – the kind that builds businesses and...

Overcoming the obstacles to optimized operations

Network-driven optimization is a top priority for many Canadian business leaders...

Thriving amid Canada’s tech talent shortage

With today’s tight labour market, rising customer demands, fast-evolving cyber threats...

Staying protected and compliant in an evolving IT landscape

Canadian businesses have changed remarkably and quickly over the last few...

Related Tech News

Tech Jobs

Our experienced team of journalists and bloggers bring you engaging in-depth interviews, videos and content targeted to IT professionals and line-of-business executives.

Tech Companies Hiring Right Now