Back in January we ran a story regarding the on-going legal issues between Apple and the 131 year old photography company Kodak. Back then, Kodak intended to file a patent infringement lawsuit against Apple, concerning 4 Kodak owned patents.
Just a little over a month on and the tables have well and truly been turned. According to the Rochester Business Journal, Apple is now seeking permission to file new patent-infringement claims against Eastman Kodak Co. Apple’s counter-claim is that Kodak actually stole the idea for these patents in the first place…
The patents in question relate to a long-standing dispute with Kodak over the rights to digital image capture technology that is present in iPads and iPhones. Kodak filed for bankruptcy on 19th January, but long before that, the company filed a suit over the infringement of imaging patents – owned by Kodak.
The RBJ goes on to report:
Actions in U.S. federal courts and before the International Trade Commission were pending when Kodak asked for Chapter 11 protection last month.
Apple maintains in the Bankruptcy Court filing that provisions that would normally halt non-bankruptcy court actions against debtors should not apply to its ongoing patent battle with Kodak but that it is seeking a green light from the Bankruptcy Court anyway out of “an excess of caution.”
We talk about the on-going legal battles surrounding Apple quite a lot here at iDB, and one thing is for sure, if you are going to file a lawsuit against one of the biggest companies in the world, be prepared to have the ball thrown back in your court at some point in the future. We will be sure to keep you updated on this one.
Can you see this ending in Apple’s favor?