Kodak Sues LG, Samsung Over Photo Patents
03 December 2012
Eastman Kodak announced on November 17 that it has filed complaints against Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics and other related entities for infringement of Kodak patents. The suit was filed in the United States District Court for the Western District of New York and with the US International Trade Commission.
The Kodak actions specifically allege that Samsung and LG camera phones infringe Kodak digital camera patents covering technology related to image capture, compression and data storage and a method for previewing motion images.
In the United States, where the US Patent and Trademark Office also has an accelerated examination procedure, some 40% of requests for accelerated treatment are granted, according to USPTO data.
Kodak’s District Court complaints request compensation for damages resulting from the companies’ infringement, and both the District Court and ITC actions seek injunctions prohibiting Samsung and LG from further importation and sale of products cited in the complaints. Kodak did not disclose the amount of damages it is pursuing.
“Kodak has a long history of innovation and we have invested many millions of dollars developing our digital camera technology,” said Laura G Quatela, chief intellectual property office and vice president for Eastman Kodak. Eastman Kodak Company. “We’ve held discussions with both companies in an attempt to resolve this issue and have not been able to reach a satisfactory agreement. Consequently, we must take this legal action in order to ensure that we protect the interests of our shareholders and existing licensees of Kodak digital camera patents.”
According to the company, Kodak has licensed its imaging patents to several leading technology companies including MEI/Panasonic, Motorola, Nokia, Olympus, Sanyo, Sharp, Sony and Sony Ericsson.
