Kodak has lost a two-year patent case as an initial ruling by the US International Trade Commission (ITC) has declared that the patent claims made by the company against Apple and Research In Motion (RIM) were invalid.
An administrative law judge from ITC has, however, concluded that the Apple iPhone 3G and the accused RIM BlackBerry devices infringe Kodak’s patent, though the patent is invalid.
The patent at issue centres on a technology developed by Kodak for previewing images on a digital camera-enabled device, which Kodak says is fundamental to how those devices take pictures.
Kodak vice president and chief intellectual property officer Timothy Lynch said in a previous ITC investigation, a different ALJ found this same Kodak patent to be valid and infringed by Samsung, whose products are similar to those offered by Apple and RIM.
"Kodak has invested billions of dollars to develop its pioneering digital imaging technology, and we intend to protect these valuable assets," he added.
"We expect to appeal to the full commission his recommendation on validity."
The final decision of the ITC is expected in September 2012.
Kodak noted it licenses its technology to several technology firms including LG, Motorola, Nokia, and Samsung.
