Kodak goes after Apple and RIM for alleged patent infringement

 

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Posted on 15 Jan 2010 at 14:29

Kodak has announced that it has filed lawsuits against Apple and Research in Motion, alleging that the two companies have infringed on Kodak's patented digital imaging technology.

The complaint, filed with the US International Trade Commission, claims that Apple's iPhones and RIM's camera-equipped BlackBerry devices infringe on a Kodak patent that "covers technology related to a method for previewing images."

"Kodak has a long history of digital imaging innovation and we have invested hundreds of millions of dollars creating our industry-leading patent portfolio," said Laura Quatela, chief intellectual property officer at Kodak.

Quatela said that Kodak has been in discussions with both Apple and RIM "for years" in an attempt to come to an amicable resolution, but that has been unsuccessful thus far - hence the need to take the dispute to the courts.

"Our primary interest is not to disrupt the availability of any product but to obtain fair compensation for the use of our technology," Quatela added. "There's a basic issue of fairness that needs to be addressed. Those devices use Kodak technology, and we are merely seeking compensation for the use of our technology in their products."

Despite what Quatela says though, Kodak's filing against both Apple and RIM says it wants the ITC to enforce a limited exclusion order which will prevent the importation of infringing devices from the two firms.

In addition to this complaint, Kodak has filed two more suits against Apple in the US District Court for the Western District of New York which claim that Apple has infringed on Kodak-owned patents "related to digital cameras and certain computer processes."

The first suit alleges that Apple infringes on two Kodak patents "generally covering image preview and the processing of images of different resolutions", while the second suit alleges infringement of patents that "describe a method by which a computer program can 'ask for help' from another application to carry out certain computer-orientated functions." This applies to any Apple product that uses the processing method described, says Kodak.

In these cases, Kodak wants the court to recognise the infringements and put a stop to them. Kodak also seeks damages for the infringements, but doesn't specify the amount it is seeking.

Author: Tim Smalley