TD Staff 
Eastman Kodak Co. (EK), on the verge of being declared bankrupt, has sensationally filed two separate lawsuits against mobile giants Apple and HTC. According to the lawsuits, launched yesterday in Rochester Federal Court, Kodak claims that both the companies have illegally used Kodak technology for image transmission.
With photographic film demands vaporising day by day, as the world moves onto digital photography, it’s Kodak that have taken the most depressing blow. Kodak, are on the verge of bankruptcy, having reported a massive loss of 88% in stock value last year alone. In a desperate attempt to keep themselves afloat in the market, Kodak have said though they don’t want the sale of products to be stalled, they do expect “to obtain fair compensation” in return for unauthorized use of their patents.
“We’ve had numerous discussions with both companies in an attempt to resolve this issue, and we have not been able to reach a satisfactory agreement. Our primary interest is not to disrupt the availability of any product but to obtain fair compensation for the unauthorized use of our technology.” stated Laura Quatela, Kodak’s Chief Operating Officer and President.
Kodak claims that Apple products iPad 2, iPhone and iPod Touch as well as HTC products namely Flyer, EVO View 4G, Jetstream, Vivid, Amaze 4g, Desire, Hero S, Rezound, Rhyme, Sensation 4G and Wildfire S, all are under scanner for unauthorized use of Kodak’s image transmission technology including a feature that allows users to share images directly from camera. HTC meanwhile, has been sued for an additional patent infringement dealing with image preview, that also happens to be the focal point of another ongoing lawsuit, Kodak previously filed against Apple and RIM.
The case details, both of which are filed with U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York (Rochester) are :
- Eastman Kodak Co. v. Apple Inc. (AAPL), 12cv6020.
- Eastman Kodak Co. v. HTC, 12cv6021.
So far, Cupertino-based Apple Inc. are yet to make any public announcement on the matter, while Taoyuan-based HTC, has responded by saying they have no comments.
