Apple fights Kodak suit with one of its own

Apple today countersued Kodak over alleged patent violations. The complaint accuses Kodak of copying technology relating to image processing as well as energy management and memory design. Many of Kodak's C, M and Z series EasyShares are supposedly infringing on the patents, as are pocket camcorders like the Zi8.

The lawsuit is accompanied by a formal ITC complaint that would block all of the offending Kodak devices if validated. All iMacs and MacBooks, as well as iPhoto, iTunes, Mac OS X Snow Leopard and Photo Booth all using the existing technology, Apple said.

Apple's suit is a response to an original Kodak lawsuit that also targeted BlackBerry creator RIM and has argued that both their phone camera and image apps tread on Kodak patents. Such strategies aren't uncommon in lawsuits and were already used earlier with a countersuit against Nokia. Many who pursue these routes often hope to force a settlement or better royalty terms than if they simply tried to defend against the initial complaint.

Kodak already has licensing deals with a number of phone manufacturers, particularly LG and Motorola.

By Electronista Staff

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iPhone, patents, industry, software, digital imaging, Nokia, Kodak, EasyShare, BlackBerry, lawsuits, Research in Motion, ITC, Apple