By Allen Tsai | Wed Feb 17, 2010 3:37 pm |
A federal agency that oversees trade disputes will decide whether to block imports from iPhone-maker Apple and BlackBerry-maker Research in Motion over digital-camera technology that Kodak says infringes on its patent rights.
The U.S. International Trade Commission said it will investigate Kodak's claims that Apple and Research in Motion have violated a 2001 patent that covers ways to preview photos."The products at issue in this investigation are smartphones with built-in cameras," the agency said in a statement. Among the smartphones that Kodak seeks to ban are touch screen devices like the Apple iPhone and BlackBerry Storm and other camera phones such as the Tour, Bold, Curve and Pearl. Unable to settle through negotiations, Kodak has decided to use the ITC to get a royalty-paying settlement. In December, it was able to resolve similar disputes with LG and Samsung after a yearlong legal battle. Tech companies have increasingly prefered to use the ITC to resolve its cases due to its accelerated pace, compared to traditional patent litigation, which can draw out for years. While the trade commission can't award monetary damages, it can order Customs to block products made with infringing technology shipped into the U.S., typically resulting in relatively fast settlements that take just 12 to 14 months. Kodak, which now makes digital cameras and inkjet printers, has amassed a portfolio of over 1,000 digital-imaging patents, used in nearly all of today's digital cameras, including those found on mobile devices. In 2009, the company collected $622 million in intellectual-property income and expects to generate $450 million in royalty payments from Samsung alone this year. RIM and Apple, both deep-pocketed companies that make handsets containing hundreds of parts, have been common targets of patent-infringement cases. In 2006, RIM settled a case with NTP for $613 million, while in more recent months, Motorola filed a legal dispute against the BlackBerry maker over rights on Wi-Fi access, user interface and power management. In December, Nokia and Apple filed patent-infringement complaints against each other over similar intellectual property disputes. Broadcom, the first high-profile tech firm to use the regulatory body, reached a quick $891 million settlement with Qualcomm after a long, stagnant legal battle that began in 2005.
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Thu Feb 09, 2012 3:10 pm | By
Apple will hold a launch event for the iPad 3 in the first week of March, as the company updates its tablet to stay ahead of rivals.
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Thu Feb 09, 2012 2:54 pm | By
Apple co-founder Steve Jobs was unfit for George H.W. Bush's council in 1991, according to an FBI investigation, highlighting his drug use and decision to not support his daughter.
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Thu Feb 09, 2012 12:56 pm | By
Google aims to take a percentage of every iPhone sold after completing its Motorola acquisition, raising questions over whether current patent fair use standards support fair business practices.
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Thu Feb 09, 2012 12:41 pm | By
Apple may shift litigation strategies, attacking the process of "copying" rather than products, after losing a critical patent battle to Samsung in Germany, raising questions of the iPad maker's costly and aggressive tactics.
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Wed Feb 08, 2012 4:09 pm | By
Apple is facing increasing animosity over working conditions at its Chinese factories, as protestors gather to demonstrate against the iPhone maker's controversial labor issues.
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