RIM said it is “pleased” that the US International Trade Commission had ruled a patent asserted against it by troubled imaging company Eastman Kodak is invalid. In a statement, Barbara Parvis, the BlackBerry-maker’s VP of Litigation, said: “RIM respects the valid intellectual property rights of other companies, but will vigorously defend itself against improper claims”. Kodak was given permission to auction some of its patents by the Bankruptcy Courts earlier this month.