Eastman Kodak Co. lost a preliminary patent ruling yesterday as a trade panel judge ruled that Apple and Research in Motion did not violate a Kodak patent because it was invalid, Reuters reported. An administrative law judge at the International Trade Commission said that the critical portion of Kodak's patent, which allows a user to preview digital images, was invalid because it was obvious. The full ITC will confirm or overturn the judge's decision in September. Kodak, now in bankruptcy, saw its share price shrink by more than 25 percent to 19 cents in trading on Monday afternoon. This is the second round through the ITC for this dispute -- an ITC judge had previously found the same patent invalid but the full ITC asked for that decision to be reviewed.
