Trade panel weighs Kodak patent row with Apple

Embattled photography pioneer Eastman Kodak Co is nearing the end of a high-stakes patent-infringement fight with smartphone giants Apple Inc and Research in Motion Ltd. The 131-year-old Rochester, New York-based company argued in a January 2010 lawsuit that image-preview technology it patented in 2001 was infringed by iPhone maker Apple Inc. of Cupertino, California, and BlackBerry maker Research in Motion Ltd of Ontario, Canada. Chief Executive Antonio Perez estimates Kodak could draw up to $1 billion (Dh3.67 billion) from its deep-pocketed rivals if it gets a favourable ruling before the US International Trade Commission in Washington, D.C. Because the federal agency can block imports of patent-infringing products, Apple and RIM could be forced to spend hundreds of millions of dollars in licensing fees to bring in smartphones made overseas. Both Apple and RIM have declined to comment on the case. A triumph for Kodak would also lift some pressure on the maker of cameras, film, photo kiosks and inkjet printers as it struggles to redefine itself as a 21st-century powerhouse in digital imaging. Its dispute with Apple and RIM centres on technology Kodak created for extracting a still image while previewing it in the camera's LCD screen. In 2009, the trade commission ruled that South Korean mobile phone makers Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics infringed the same patent, resulting in $964 million in payouts. From / Gulf News