If I think about photography then Kodak almost instantly comes to mind. Call it the effects of marketing but “a Kodak moment” is etched in my memory. I was incredibly sad to read the press reports that started with “Kodak files for bankruptcy protection”.
The Kodak story is one that represents the change in photography. Once upon a time Kodak sold the majority of the photographic film used in old school cameras. Then the significant movement to digital came and Kodak it seemed had no plan how to cater for it. It is very sad that a company so intertwined with photography is staring bankruptcy in the face.
The last few weeks have seen Kodak start court cases against companies for infringing on patents which they own.
Earlier this week Fujifilm got a notice of a legal court case:
“Kodak has long been in discussions with Fujifilm, asking the company to do what more than 30 other companies have done already and take a license for their use of our pioneering digital imaging technology,” said Timothy M. Lynch, Chief Intellectual Property Officer, Eastman Kodak Company. “Kodak has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in developing this technology.”
“Not only have we failed to reach an agreement, but Fuji resorted to filing suit against us in October in what was a thinly veiled attempt to redirect attention from their continued use of Kodak patented technology.There’s a basic issue of fairness that needs to be addressed. The failure to appropriately compensate Kodak for the unauthorized use of our patented technology impedes our ability to continue to innovate and introduce new products.”
Earlier in January they filed a court case against Apple & HTC:
A complaint filed with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) specifically claims that certain of Apple’s iPhones, iPads, and iPods, and certain of HTC’s smartphones and tablets infringe Kodak patents that relate to technology for transmitting images. Kodak also alleges that certain of HTC’s smartphones infringe a patent that covers technology related to a method for previewing images which is already the subject of pending actions against Apple. Separately, Kodak filed suits today against Apple and HTC in U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York alleging the same infringement.
The patent suits can be seen as the last ditch effort for funds in my opinion. Kodak has struggled with its transformation in being a digital photography printing company. The Kodak moment it seems has come and gone or will it return?
