Kodak sues Apple, HTC over patent infringement

Eastman Kodak yesterday filed lawsuits against smartphone makers Apple and HTC for infringing patents even as the imaging, photographic materials and equipment pioneer is preparing to file for bankruptcy protection.

New York-based Kodak has filed patent suits in the US District Court in Rochester and at the US International Trade Commission in Washington, alleging that some of Apple's and HTC's smartphones and tablet devices infringed its patents covering the transmission of photos from devices such as mobile phones and tablets.

Kodak says that it was the first to realise that users would want to share photos directly from their cameras, rather than first loading them up on personal computers, the patents of which Apple and Taiwan-based HTC have been knowingly violating.

''We've had numerous discussions with both companies in an attempt to resolve this issue, and we have not been able to reach a satisfactory agreement,'' Laura Quatela, Kodak's chief operating officer, said in a statement. ''Our primary interest is not to disrupt the availability of any product but to obtain fair compensation for the unauthorised use of our technology.''

Kodak claims infringement by Apple's iPad 2, iPhone and iPod Touch, and by HTC's tablets and phones, including the Flyer, EVO View 4G, Jetstream, Vivid, Amaze 4g, Desire, Hero S, Rezound, Rhyme, Sensation 4G and Wildfire S.

Kodak has licensed this technology to approximately 30 companies, including mobile handset makers like LG, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, and Sony Ericsson, all of which pay royalty to Kodak.