The U.S. International Trade Commission announced Thursday that it has voted to begin an investigation into claims that Kodak is violating Apple patents that cover digital still and video cameras.
Apple filed the complaint in April of 2010, alleging that Kodak was violating two of Apple’s patents. Apple also sued Kodak over the same claims. It was Kodak, however, that began the fracas, with the imaging company first filing a complaint with the ITC in January of 2010, followed by its own lawsuit against both Research In Motion and Apple.
The ITC agreed to investigate Kodak’s claims in February, and today’s announcement from the ITC means the organization is also looking at the issue from the viewpoint of Apple’s own complaints.
At stake is the import into the U.S. of iPhone and iPods, various BlackBerry models (relating to Kodak’s complaint, not today’s announcement), and import of several lines of Kodak’s digital cameras.