ITC Delays Final Decision on Kodak V. Apple/RIM Litigation

After issuing a stated date of May 23rd for a final decision on the Kodak V. Apple/RIM imaging patent case, the ITC has announced that it has delayed the date for the final decision to an unspecified date in the near future.  Kodak sued Apple and RIM over camera-related patents in January 2010.

Earlier this year, the regulator made a preliminary ruling in favor of Apple and RIM and ruled that Kodak’s patents were not being violated, which weakened Kodak’s initial stance, as it had already collected damages from Samsung and LG based on its imaging patents in a previous case.

The ITC case is viewed as important, as a ruling against Apple and RIM could halt the sale of key devices for both manufacturers, until a settlement could be reached. However, if Kodak loses, it would be a considerable blow to the patent value of the company. Patents are becoming considered an increasingly larger amount of Kodak’s net asset value, as Kodak continues to struggle in the printing and digital photography sectors.