Kodak patent complaint against Apple, RIM revived

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) -- A federal agency has decided to review Eastman Kodak's high-stakes patent claim against technology giants Apple and Research in Motion. The U.S. International Trade Commission said last week it will look at a judge's finding in January that Apple's iPhone and RIM's BlackBerry don't violate a 2001 Kodak image-preview patent. The favorable decision revives Kodak's hopes of negotiating royalties worth $1 billion or more. The agency's six commissioners will decide by May 23 whether to alter the initial determination by its chief administrative judge or let it stand. Kodak has amassed more than 1,000 digital-imaging patents, and almost all digital cameras rely on that technology. Mining its rich array of inventions has become an indispensable tool in its long and painful turnaround. Published: Wed, Mar 30, 2011