A judge at the U.S. International Trade Commission has determined that a Kodak patent asserted in a complaint against Apple and Research In Motion is invalid, Kodak said on Monday.

Eastman Kodak has asked a bankruptcy court to decide on its patent dispute with Apple, thus opposing a motion by Apple for permission to resume the patent litigation in another court.

Eastman Kodak, which filed for bankruptcy protection in January, has entered into an agreement with Shutterfly for the sale of certain assets of its online photo services business for US$23.8 million, it said Thursday.

Kodak, which filed for bankruptcy last month, is killing its digital cameras business and plans to focus on printing in an effort to save money.

Angered by the move by federal authorities to shut down the popular website Megaupload on charges it illegally shared movies, TV shows and e-books, hackers said to be working on behalf of the hactivist group Anonymous late yesterday launched denial-of-service attacks against a number of websites, including that of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).