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The Honorable Deanna Tanner Okun
March.IS,2011
Chainnan, U,S. International Trade Commissi9n
The Honorable Irving A. Williamson
Vice Chairman, International Trade Commission
The Honorable Sham L. Aranoff
Commissioner, U.S. International Trade Commission
The Honorable Daniel R. Pearson
Commissioner, U.S. International Trade Commission
The Honorable Charlotte R. Lane
Commissioner, U.S. International Trade Commission
The Honorable Dean A. Pinkert
Commissioner, U.S. International Trade Commission
United States International TradeCommission
SOO E Street, S. W.
Washington, DC. 20436
Dear Madame Chainnan, Mr. Vice Chainnan, and Commissioners:
I have been following with great interest the current ITC claim brought by Eastman Kodak
Company against Apple and Research In Motion (RlM). The ITC has a strong tradition of
upholding consistent and fair enforcement of our trade and intellectual property policies. In light
of conflieting preliminary decisions issued by the ITC on the same patcmt, I believe that it is in
the best interest of our enforcement of intellectual property laws for thisclairn to be reviewed by
the full Commission.
Digital innovation at Kodak - which includes invention of the digital camera and other
breakthrougb. technologies - has had a significant benefit for the economy in upstate New York,
and for the 1,100 Kodak employees and 20,000 retirees who call New York home.
It is my understanding thatthe Administrative Law Judge (ALl) in Kodak's ITC case against
Apple and RIM issued a preliminary decision that contradicts a decision made less than a year
ago by another ALJ conceming the exact same Kodak patent. In that case, the ITC ruled in
Kodak's favor on a patent infringement claim made against Samsung.
Kodak's innovation is vital to our regional and national economies and, given the discrepancy in
the two ALJ decisions, I ask that Kodak's claim be heard before the full Commission.
Thank you for your time and consideration of this matter.
Sincerely,
Louise M. Slaughter
Member of Congress