Kodak Sues Samsung in Next Step on ‘Aggressive’ Patent Path
By Susan Decker
(Adds earlier patent cases in second paragraph.)
Jan. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Eastman Kodak Co. stepped up its campaign to extract more cash from its patent portfolio, suing Samsung Electronics Co. in a case that claims the Galaxy tablet infringes technology for capturing and sending digital images.
 |
| kodak logo |
The complaint filed today in federal court in Rochester, New York, where Kodak is based, accuses Samsung of infringing five patents, including one for technology already licensed for Samsung’s mobile phones. The other four are ones that were cited in lawsuits last week against Apple Inc. and HTC Corp.
Kodak said in November that selling or licensing patents, as well as refinancing debt, will help determine its ability to continue operating in the next 12 months as declines in the company’s traditional photography business hurt sales and cash reserves. Kodak last week sued HTC, Apple and Fujifilm Holdings Corp., and also has a case against Research In Motion Ltd.
“We’re continuing on our newly aggressive path” of pursuing licensing revenue from the company’s intellectual property, Christopher Veronda, a Kodak spokesman, said today.
Samsung in 2010 agreed to pay Kodak $550 million to settle another patent dispute in which the Suwon, South Korea-based handset maker had been accused of infringing a patent for a feature that lets users preview images on their cameras using less processing power and storage
The new case is Eastman Kodak Co. v. Samsung Electronics Co., 12cv6036, U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York (Rochester).
--With assistance from Beth Jinks in New York. Editors: Romaine Bostick, John Lear
Source: Buisnessweek
