The International Trade Commission on Thursday ruled in favor of Kodak in Apple’s trade complaint. An administrative law judge determined that Kodak hadn’t infringed on Apple’s patents on camera and image technology for devices like the iPhone. The ruling isn’t yet binding and will be either upheld or tossed after a collective ITC decision on September 19.
The judge’s verdict puts pressure against Apple. It and RIM successfully had Kodak’s own ITC case tossed only to face a review starting in March. Neither Apple nor RIM now has an ITC complaint to wield against Kodak as a bargaining chip for a settlement. The review is due to be completed May 23.
Separate lawsuits are still ongoing between Apple and Kodak.
Kodak has readily admitted that it’s using lawsuits as a business model. The company’s failure to compete in the transition to digital has steered it towards squeezing companies for royalties, including LG, Motorola, Samsung, and others.
ITC complaints are common in the technology industry since they often decide on the validity of a patent faster than a lawsuit and can force a settlement for cases that would otherwise go to years-long trials.
