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Kodak Sues Sony Over Digital Camera Patents

Posted by timothy on from the itchy-lawyers dept.

KenC writes "Kodak has filed a lawsuit against Sony alleging that 10 of its patents have been used without permission. Included among the patents as reported via Reuters is electronic camera utilizing image compression and digital storage . Kodak claim the patents involved were issued between 1987 and 2003. More from Bloomberg." As reader Nekura2025 asks "Um, doesn't that apply to all digital cameras?"

6 of 364 comments (clear)

  1. Last refuge of a scoundrel by amarodeeps · · Score: 4, Informative

    In Rochester, where my parents live, everyone they know who works for Kodak prefaces their statements in meetings with "If I'm still here..."

    That company is going downhill so fast, it's no real surprise they're turning to other sources for revenue. But it is depressing that such a former juggernaut couldn't keep their innovation once their old technology started becoming obsolete...sad they couldn't leverage their older skills and technology. Uh...by sad, I mean, not sad at all, sorry, take another number.

    Or maybe leveraging their older technology is what they're trying to do with these patent suits, I guess...

  2. Yes, this applies to all digital cameras by Thagg · · Score: 5, Informative

    While this applies to all digital cameras, almost all digital camera manufacturers pay royalties to Kodak for a license to a number of digital imaging patents. Kodak's labs in Rochester were way out in front of everybody on this, back in the late 80's and early 90's. Unlike Xerox PARC, though, with Xerox's mouse/window based PC's, Kodak filed patents on their innovations, and make a good sum of money licensing them.

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  3. I bet the dispute isn't about the patent per se by ptomblin · · Score: 4, Informative

    Kodak has a lot of patents that relate to digital photography, some of which date back to the 1960s regarding technology they developed for film cameras or film processing. But all the big camera and digital camera manufacturers cross license each other's patent portfolios, usually on an entire portfolio to entire portfolio basis, with no money being exchanged - it's all very convenient for them, but I bet it's hell if a new company wanted to get into the business.

    What is probably happening here is that Kodak wants access to some Sony patents, and needs to leverage the patents they have to get access to it. This is probably just a legal ploy to get Sony back to the bargaining table.

    Disclaimer:
    Even though I'm currently on contract at Kodak, I don't have any inside information on this case and I'm not involved in digital still cameras. I just know what they told us in the "why you need to apply for patents on your work" lecture.

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  4. Patently (ha!) untrue! by toonrmeusa · · Score: 5, Informative
    Kodak is not far behind in the digital camera market. In fact, they sold 20% of all digital cameras in the U.S. last year, behind Sony (22%).

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  5. Here's the patent by mabinogi · · Score: 4, Informative

    Number 5016107

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  6. Sony had digital storage in 1981. by dbirchall · · Score: 4, Informative
    See the description and photo of the original MAVICA (MAgnetic VIdeo CAmera) on digicamhistory.com.

    I'm not sure when image compression entered the picture, but unless Kodak came up with it before 1981 and it took them until 1987 or longer to get the patent, it would appear that this constitutes prior art - by Sony themselves.