Apple (AAPL) (NOK) (EK) and Patent Battles

The headline that Kodak (NYSE:EK) won a round in its battle against Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) in a patent dispute, as well Apple winning one against Nokia (NYSE:NOK), is far too early in the process to draw any conclusions yet.

Kodak's dispute with Apple garnered significant headlines because it included the almost interesting number of $1 billion as what was potentially at stake.

Even the headline of Apple winning a round against Nokia concerning 5 patents is largely irrelevant, as it could go under further review, and it's only 5 of 75 patents under dispute.

The other factor in the Nokia, Apple dispute is it's not just being fought in one venue, but in six venues, and the outcome within those parameters is anyone's guess.

In the end, in these cases, and others, we're only at the beginning of working through the legal process concerning patents, and ultimately it's sure to result in changes in the laws, although that is probably years away.