EARNINGS : Kodak Posts $206-Million Loss

Eastman Kodak Co., ordered by a court to pay $909.5 million in damages to Polaroid Corp., said today it suffered a $206-million loss in the third quarter.

Kodak said its earnings would have increased 19% without the judgment against it.

The photographic company said the loss, which translated to 64 cents per share, compared to earnings of $510 million, or 93 cents per share, in the same period a year earlier.

The U.S. District Court in Boston earlier this month awarded $454.2 million in damages and $455.3 million in interest to Polaroid in a 14-year-old patent infringement suit against Kodak. Both Kodak and Polaroid have appealed the decision, but Kodak decided to take a $909.5-million charge against its third-quarter earnings to cover the costs of the award.