Eastman Kodak Company Loses Patent Case Versus Apple Inc And Research In Motion Ltd; Plans Appeal-Reuters

Reuters reported that Eastman Kodak Company has lost an appeal of a patent dispute over digital image preview technology with Apple Inc and Research In Motion Ltd, which could set back the onetime photography giant's efforts to raise money in bankruptcy by selling patents. The U.S. International Trade Commission on Friday upheld a May 21 ruling by Judge Thomas Pender of that agency that neither Apple Inc nor Research In Motion Ltd had violated Eastman Kodak Company's rights in the so-called '218 patent, which covers how digital cameras preview images. The investigation is thus terminated, the agency said. Eastman Kodak Company has been hoping to recover $1 billion, and said on Sunday it plans an appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, D.C. 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, it said. Eastman Kodak Company are confident that its validity will ultimately be upheld.