ROCHESTER, New York (AP) — Staff investigators at the U.S. International Trade Commission sided with photography pioneer Eastman Kodak in its patent-infringement battle with smartphone giants Apple and Research in Motion.
The third-party investigators at the federal agency, which oversees trade disputes, found that Apple and Canada-based RIM infringed an image-preview patent Kodak obtained in 2001. They recommended an order barring imports of Apple Inc.'s iPhones and Research In Motion Ltd.'s BlackBerry phones.
Recommendations by staff investigators are not always followed by the Washington, D.C.-based commission. Its full panel of six commissioners agreed in March to rule on the patent claim by June 23.
Eastman Kodak Co. stock jumped 48 cents, or 15 percent, to close at a seven-week high of $3.60.