Eastman Kodak filed complaints with the International Trade Commission Thursday against Apple and BlackBerry maker Research In Motion. According to Kodak, mobile devices from both companies infringe on technology pertaining to its patented method for previewing color images.
Kodak is asking the ITC for a limited exclusion order preventing the importation of specific mobile handsets featuring digital cameras. Kodak Chief Intellectual Property Officer Laura Quatela noted that Kodak has a long history of digital-imaging innovation and has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in the creation of its patent portfolio.
“In the case of Apple and RIM, we’ve had discussions for years with both companies in an attempt to resolve this issue amicably, and we have not been able to reach a satisfactory agreement,” Quatela said. “In light of that, we are taking this action to ensure that we protect the interests of our shareholders and the existing licensees of our technology.”
Patent Leverage
Kodak’s sales of stand-alone digital cameras have been impacted by the rise in popularity of camera-enabled cellular handsets and smartphones. According to Gartner, a huge number of mobile devices with digital-imaging capabilities shipped in 2009.
“For worldwide in 2009, we expect 78 percent of the handsets will have had some sort of camera functionality,” said Tuong Nguyen, a principal analyst at Gartner. “We break this total up into six categories, with handsets under one megapixels accounting for 24.8 percent; one megapixel, 12 percent; two megapixels, 27.6 percent; three megapixels, 22.5 percent; five megapixels, 10.4 percent; and over eight megapixels, 2.7 percent.”
In response to the growing mobile-device threat, Kodak has already begun leveraging its patent portfolio to boost the company’s bottom line through royalty-generating cross-license agreements such as one with Samsung Electronics that the imaging pioneer announced Monday. Kodak’s agreement with Samsung settles patent-infringement proceedings before U.S. and German courts as…