James Delahunty
18 Feb 2010 7:58
The International Trade Commission (ITC) will investigate a complaint made by Eastman Kodak Co. related to smartphones made by Apple and Research In Motion, the body announced on Wednesday. "The products at issue in this investigation are smartphones with built-in cameras," the agency said in a statement. The Kodak complaint was filed with the ITC on January 14th this year, while Kodak filed two lawsuits against Apple for patent infringement on the same day.
The patents in question relate to the image preview and image size functions of digital cameras and other things. Kodak is seeking compensation for the use of its technology, and is open to talks with Apple and RIM on licensing. For now however, it is requesting the ITC block Apple and RIM from importing devices that infringe its patents.
Hit badly by the recession, Kodak is looking at its patent portfolio as a long-term source of revenue. The company projects licensing revenue averaging at least $250 - $350 million each year for the coming several years.