Apple Inc. (AAPL) Appealing Kodak Bankruptcy Patent Ruling

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has attorneys spread all over the country. Not only have attorneys been working for about two years on the current patent-infringement case against Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. in California, but the firm also has legal counsel working in Manhattan currently, as attorneys for Apple have filed a motion appealing the recent ruling that allowed The Eastman Kodak Company to retain rights to a couple of patents.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) staked claim to several patents that were in Eastman Kodak’s patent portfolio that the company was putting up for action as part of its bankruptcy filing. When Apple staked the claim, Kodak filed suit in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court where its process was being overseen by Judge Allan Gropper. Gropper made a summary judgment in favor of Kodak on two of the patents claimed by Apple but did not make such a judgment on the other eight contested patents, though the judge gave Kodak the option to renew its request.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is appealing the summary judgement on the two patents and will likely seek a full hearing on those. Kodak was intending to include the 10 contested patents in its patent auction, for which Apple would bid alongisd eseveral other tech companies. If Apple wins the claim, the patents will not be included in the auction.

The patents in the auction could be worth a few million dollars in the open market, but how much money is Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) fighting this battle for these patents? Will it offset the value of the patents? It might be a question that key investors like  Julian Robertson of Tiger Management will be looking to get answered.