Judge tosses Kodak patent complaint against Apple, RIM
updated 08:10 pm EST, Mon January 24, 2011
Kodak patent suit against Apple and RIM denied
Kodak suffered a major blow to its patent hopes on Monday after the International Trade Commission dismissed its complaints against Apple and RIM. Judge Luckern said the patent at stake, for low resolution moving previews, was too obvious a variant on an earlier patent and couldn't be used. The BlackBerry and iPhone couldn't violate the patent as a result.
The ruling isn't yet absolute and has to be reviewed by an ITC panel before it can be upheld. Apple and RIM may still face legal challenges as a judge in Kodak's other main complaint, against LG and Samsung, had upheld the same patent. Kodak General Counsel Laura Quatela spun the loss as a "preliminary step" in which it would ultimately be the winner.
Kodak has resorted to lawsuits as a form of business after it failed to transition quickly from film cameras to digital. The company has had trouble competing against companies like Canon, Fujifilm or Nikon that adapted more quickly to the field. The American camera maker has gone so far as to treat it as a staple business and hoped to make between $250 million and $350 million in lawsuit settlements and royalty payments between 2009 and the next few years.
Opponents have noted that some of Kodak's claims would cover virtually every digital camera and that prior art would be a central issue.
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Aug 2001
Sad
A once-great company that is still capable of doing top-notch products (love the Mi6, for example), is busy killing off their niche-but-highly-profitable film business and rather than innovate, has decided its easier to copycat (cameras, video) and litigate its way into oblivion.