Kodak accuses Fujifilm of patent infringement

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — After announcing patent infringement suits against Apple and HTC related to its digital imaging technology, Kodak also announced it filed a similar lawsuit against Fujifilm.

Kodak said the complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York and was related to U.S. Patent Nos. 5,493,335; 6,292,218; 6,573,927; 6,441,854; and 5,164,831.

“Kodak has long been in discussions with Fujifilm, asking the company to do what more than 30 other companies have done already and take a license for their use of our pioneering digital imaging technology,” Kodak chief intellectual property officer Timothy Lynch said. “Kodak has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in developing this technology. Not only have we failed to reach an agreement, but Fuji resorted to filing suit against us in October in what was a thinly veiled attempt to redirect attention from their continued use of Kodak patented technology.

"There’s a basic issue of fairness that needs to be addressed," Lynch said. "The failure to appropriately compensate Kodak for the unauthorized use of our patented technology impedes our ability to continue to innovate and introduce new products.”