A judge has ruled against Apple, holding that the company cannot pursue its patent infringement lawsuit against Eastman Kodak. Apple’s patent infringement lawsuit was meant to stop Kodak from selling the patents during its bankruptcy proceedings. The judge asked Apple and Kodak return to court later this month with ideas on a quick resolution of the ownership dispute.

Kodak maintains that Apple’s ownership claims are inaccurate, while Apple insists that Kodak misappropriated its technologies. The patent involves a digital camera with the technology to preview images on an LCD screen.

Apple insists that the patents belong to it, and the company has been especially concerned after Kodak announced its decision to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. After Kodak filed for bankruptcy, it became eligible for an automatic stay on any pending litigation. This is a benefit typically granted to companies that file for bankruptcy, and are in the process of reorganizing the company.

The judge made special mention of the fact that Apple has been pushing its case, even though Kodak only filed for bankruptcy in January. The judge held that it’s been just a few weeks since Kodak filed bankruptcy papers, and as such, the company has been busy with a lot of other matters that it needs to take care of. Apple meanwhile has been pushing for an immediate decision, insisting that with every day that Kodak continues to hold onto its alleged patents, the damages due to Apple only increase.

Patent infringement litigation, or for that matter any type of intellectual property infringement-related litigation is a complex area of litigation, that requires the expertise brought by skilled California patent infringement attorneys who specialize in patent law. There are numerous complexities involved in patent litigation. For instance, many of the patent infringement lawsuits are filed by nonpracticing entities who do not manufacture the patented product themselves. These companies file the lawsuit on behalf of smaller companies that own the patent but are not able to file a lawsuit to defend their ownership.