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Kodak/Apple patent dispute ends badly for Kodak
Struggling US photography pioneer Kodak was dealt a major blow when the International Trade Commission ruled that its color image preview patent, No. 6,292,218, was invalid, according to the Wall Street Journal. Kodak hoped to extract money from companies that were not licensing the patent and kicked off a series of legal volleys that began with a high-profile ITC complaint filed against Apple and RIM in early 2010. The camera company has planned to sell off its patent portfolio to raise money for its bankruptcy case, and securing licenses from companies like Apple would increase the money the company could get from a patent auction. Patent number '218 was considered to be the most valuable in Kodak's portfolio because it covered the way color digital images are previewed in a viewfinder. It is already licensed by 32 other companies. The technology behind this patent was developed during the time Kodak worked with Apple on the QuickTake 100, a digital camera project from the early 90s that was killed by Steve Jobs when he returned to Apple. In the course of the legal proceedings, Apple countersued Kodak claiming the company misappropriated the technology. The ITC battle was settled on Friday when the commission upheld an earlier decision from ITC judge Thomas Pender and dismissed the complaint. This decision could hurt Kodak financially in its patent auction, which is expected to end next month. [Via Apple 2.0]
Kodak loses ruling in patent fight with Apple
Struggling camera and film pioneer Kodak is going through Chapter 11 bankruptcy. While it deals with angry creditors, the company is also juggling a legal battle with Apple over the rights to several patents in its patent portfolio. According to Bloomberg, Kodak recently was handed a setback in its fight with Apple when US Bankruptcy Judge Allan Gropper told the camera maker the dispute would be processed as part of the bankruptcy proceedings and won't be fast tracked by the court. "An adversary proceeding will permit the parties to raise issues in an orderly and expeditious fashion and preserve all of their just rights," Gropper said in a hearing on Wednesday. The dispute involves imaging patents that Apple says it should own. The patents, Apple claims, are derived from technology it shared with Kodak when it worked with the camera company on the QuickTake 100, an early digital camera Apple sold in 1994. Apple says Kodak misappropriated this technology and patented it without Apple's consent. Kodak, however, claims it owns the patents and want to sell them to raise money for its bankruptcy proceedings.
