Andre Yoskowitz
21 Apr 2010 18:46
In January, Eastman Kodak said it was suing RIM and Apple over patent violations relating to the cameras used in BlackBerrys and the iPhone.
Today, Apple countersued Kodak, accusing the film pioneer of violating two digital photography patents that Apple owns.
Apple has accused EK of violating patents 6,031,964 and RE38,911, which are "a system and method for using a unified memory architecture to implement a digital camera device," and a "modular digital image processing via an image processing chain with modifiable parameter controls."
Adds Kodak: "As regards our intellectual property, Kodak has a long history of digital imaging innovation and we have invested hundreds of millions of dollars creating our industry-leading patent portfolio. We have an obligation to our shareholders and the other licensees to protect their interests. When others use our technology, we merely seek fair compensation for that use, in the same way that many other leading technology companies pay us to license Kodak technology."
Kodak currently has 1100 patents relating to digital photography technologies and licenses them to over 30 companies.