Kodak to sue over iPhone and BlackBerry
Kodak is suing the makers of the iPhone and BlackBerry for infringing its image previewing patents
Friday, 15, Jan 2010 12:53
By Elizabeth Davies
The photography company Kodak has announced that it is sueing the makers of the iPhone and BlackBerry for patent infringement.
The complaint against Apple and Canadian company Research In Motion (RIM) was filed with the US International Trade Commission (ITC) on Thursday, along with two separate lawsuits against Apple in a US district court in New York.
The dispute centres around technology used by both the iPhone and BlackBerry to preview pictures. In December 2009 a similar suit was filed against the mobile phone manufacturer Samsung, which the ITC upheld as "both valid and enforceable". Kodak provides the digital imaging technology to around 30 companies, including Nokia and Motorola, all of which pay royalties for the privilege.
Kodak has filed a "limited exclusion order", which would bar both companies from shipping their smartphones, and asked for an undisclosed amount of financial compensation.
Laura Quatela, Kodak's chief intellectual property officer, said in a statement that there was "a basic issue of fairness that needs to be addressed". Although Kodak had tried on several occasions to reach a resolution of the dispute "amicably", she said, "we are taking this action to ensure that we protect the interests of our shareholders and the existing licensees of our technology". Neither Apple nor RIM have commented on the legal action.
The two separate suits taken out against iPhone manufacturer Apple relate to computer processes dealing with imaging activities. Kodak's suit is the latest in a string of court battles for Apple's iPhone. It is currently involved in a legal dispute with the mobile phone manufacturer Nokia, which claimed in December that "virtually all" Apple products infringed on its patents. The charge was in response to an accusation from Apple that Nokia had resorted to "stealing" Apple's technology for its own use.
Kodak has started 2010 well, with shares on Wednesday reaching their highest value since September. However, the company has suffered in recent years, as the development of digital photography led to a slump in demand for their products. Since 2003 Kodak has been engaged in multiple rounds of company restructuring in an attempt to compete in the digital services market. In 2009 it was forced to cut up to 4,500 jobs and freeze wages.