Amidst Bankruptcy Rumors, Kodak Files Lawsuit Against Apple

Although it might be hard to believe, Apple gets sued just as much as (if not more than) it files lawsuits. Being one of the world’s top companies with over $70 billion in cash laying around puts a pretty big target on your back.

Who’s the latest company to put Apple in its sights? None other than Kodak. The 131-year-old photography company has previously attempted to sue the iPhone-makers, and now it appears that it’s going after them again…

Bloomberg is reporting that Kodak has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Apple today in a federal court located in Rochester New York. The company believes that Apple is infringing on four of its patents.

The news is interesting as it comes amidst rumors that Kodak is looking to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and that it’s been frantically looking to auction off some of its 1,100 digital imaging patents. The Wall Street Journal reports:

“The photography company is still making last-ditch efforts to sell off some of its patent portfolio and could avoid Chapter 11 if it succeeds, one of the people said. But the company has started making preparations for a filing in case those efforts fail, including talking to banks about some $1 billion in financing to keep it afloat during bankruptcy proceedings, the people said.”

Although there’s no specific details on the patents yet, we can only assume that they pertain to the cameras and photo processing methods found inside Apple’s popular iPhone and iPad products.

At any rate, it looks like Kodak’s lawsuit is a part of some hail mary-effort by the company to avoid bankruptcy by forcing Apple into obtaining patent licenses. It’ll be interesting to see how this one plays out, as it could help determine the future of one of America’s longest-running businesses.

[via 9to5Mac]