ITC will see if it should ban iPhone, BlackBerry

The International Trade Commission today agreed to investigate Kodak's complaint against Apple and RIM. It follows an initial filing made last month and, if successful, would ban shipments of BlackBerry and iPhone models to the US as they allegedly infringe Kodak patents on previewing and scaling photos. Kodak also has a separate lawsuit against Apple in civil court over handing off tasks between apps, though this hasn't made progress since its original submission.

When making the initial filing, Kodak had claimed it had done so only after years of unsuccessful talks and after licensing its technology to phone designers like LG and Motorola. Both of these two have used the Kodak license to their advantage by producing camera phones specifically using Kodak optics and sensors.

Neither Apple nor RIM has formally responded to the investigation, although both have usually opposed patent infringement claims when they have appeared in the past.

By Electronista Staff