There aren’t many details available yet, but Bloomberg is reporting that Kodak is suing Apple over four patent claims. Is it a last ditch effort for the near-bankrupt company to keep its head above water? Or a justified defence from a company with generations of intellectual property to its name? Well, both, probably.
The lawsuits were filed in federal court in Rochester, New York, where Kodak is headquartered. And however it turns out for Kodak, well, at least the went out swinging. [Bloomberg]
Alex
Wednesday, January 11, 2012 at 10:50 AMthat can be long and $$$ process
can they keep up ?
Pies
Wednesday, January 11, 2012 at 11:08 AMFound three old Leicas. Too bad you can’t develop films anymore :(
Jacqueline
Wednesday, January 11, 2012 at 2:35 PM@pies – I know of five local places that still develop film on-site, as well as several more that will send off. You can still buy chemicals to develop C-41, black and white and E-6 film at home, and there is a market for this, albeit small. I develop black and white at home and take C-41 and E-6 to a local photography store (which stocks film and digital wares) for developing.
Get some film and get shooting!
Commander Sheppard
Wednesday, January 11, 2012 at 12:08 PMTRY innovation Kodak! looks like a last disparate grab from a company who’s time has passed!
Ozoneocean
Wednesday, January 11, 2012 at 12:12 PMI wonder why only Apple? Surely all the other phone makers have similar issues… I can’t image a newer company like HTC has avoided infringements or signed licenses on this.
-Though Samsung and Sony etc probably have much more solid bases since they would’ve been on with digital photography for a much longer time, developing much more stuff themselves.
Sevrin
Wednesday, January 11, 2012 at 12:44 PMWhatever happened to the digital film for analogue cameras idea?
Why has no one developed that and ideas like it?
A good company should always looks to the future rather than bask in the shadows of past glory!
Brett
Wednesday, January 11, 2012 at 12:55 PMYou mean digital camera backs that have been around since forever?
Sevrin
Wednesday, January 11, 2012 at 8:43 PMCan you actually buy them or are they still in development?
Kroo
Wednesday, January 11, 2012 at 1:47 PMMost of theses patents are industry standard now and would be considered under FRAND. The one covering a digital image being delivered using a server or service provider is used by every phone. It’s sad this once industry giant has hit this kind of low. It would be good if Apple licensed their patents and leave them with some dignity instead of dragging this sad story into court.
Dave
Wednesday, January 11, 2012 at 2:55 PMBut we all know how much apple loves court battles. It’s what they do best!
Tas
Wednesday, January 11, 2012 at 3:30 PMI feel genuinely sad about the potential demise of Kodak. Had the powers that were sat on their hands when the looming threat of digital presented I’d say bugger them – but they didn’t. Kodak were at the forefront of digital R&D. They also put genuinely impressive digital cameras in the hands of the initially timid masses, more often than not out-performing much more expensive cameras, including models with more megapixels. Selling mainly through places like Kmart and carrying the legacy of being associated so keenly with selling cheap Instamatics seems to have been their downfall.
I for one hope that their patent claims bear some fruit.
For this nice spiel Kodak feel free to reimburse me for the frozen Kodachrome I never got ’round to using …