Two Hot Stocks: Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) & Eastman Kodak Company(EKDKQ)

The patents dispute trial between Apple Inc.(NASDAQ:AAPL) and Samsung has almost drawn to a close with the Korean handset maker resting its case with witnesses saying that the iPhone and iPad maker had to shell out $421.8 million in royalties to Samsung.

The presiding Judge Lucy Koh had given the companies 25 hours each to present their cases and has fixed August 21, as the date on which jury deliberations were to begin. The trial started on July 30, with Apple presenting the evidence for the prosecution.

On Wednesday among the last witnesses to be called by Samsung, was David Teece of the University of California, who estimated that Apple's infringement of two patents of Samsung made it liable to pay $349 million to the Korean electronics giant, at a royalty rate of 2.4 percent.

On cross-examination by an Apple lawyer however Teece admitted that he did not how Samsung had arrived at that particular royalty rate.

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Teece was shown a letter written by Samsung to Apple in July 211 wherein it had made a proposal that the iPhone maker pay it 2.4 percent royalty to license any of its 86 patents.

Apple, in a pre-trial filing had said that the 2.4 percent ought by Samsung was "unfair, unreasonable and discriminatory."

Samsung “has never sought or received” the 2.4 percent royalty “from any licensee, and indeed cannot even explain where that number came from, “Apple argued.

Samsung on its part countered that it had offered the same royalty rate to Apple that it had been offering any other technology company.

Judge Koh has also tried her bit to get the two companies to settle before jury deliberations begin. She instructed that the Chief Executives of the two companies should get on the phone and talk to each other. She also instructed them that in case it was left to the jury to decide on the outcome, then the two companies should issue statements by Aug 18, as to whether they were successful in some measure simplifying the claims.

Meanwhile bankrupt camera maker Eastman Kodak Company(PINK:EKDKQ), that is under court-led restructuring since January this year, had sewed up deals with four movie studios that will ensure that movie cameras use Kodak film until 2015.

The studios with whom it has signed pacts are Walt Disney, Warner Brothers, NBC Universal and Paramount Pictures.

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The new agreements, which cancel old pre-existing agreements with the studios, ensure that the movie studios will keep buying a specified quantity of Kodak's film and the company will give them rebates and discounts.

"Kodak is pleased to be able to extend its longstanding relationships with these important motion picture customers," said Kim Snyder, president of Kodak's Entertainment Imaging division. "We're very happy to see their confidence in the Kodak brand by signing multiyear agreements with us."