Before we get into anything, here’s Kodak’s official statement on the matter:

“‘Kodak has a long history of digital imaging innovation and we have invested hundreds of millions of dollars creating our industry-leading patent portfolio,’ said Laura G. Quatela, Chief Intellectual Property Officer, and Vice President, Eastman Kodak Company. ‘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. 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.

‘Our primary interest is not to disrupt the availability of any product but to obtain fair compensation for the use of our technology,’ Quatela said. ‘There’s a basic issue of fairness that needs to be addressed. Those devices use Kodak technology, and we are merely seeking compensation for the use of our technology in their products.’”

So the methods used to preview images on the iPhone and BlackBerry are an infringement says Kodak. Currently Kodak has licensed deals with other mobile phone makers such as LG, Samsung, Nokia, Sony Ericsson, and Motorola.  By the look of it, Kodak has been trying to come to some sort of agreement with the two, but have failed to come to a mutual agreement of any kind, which ended up leading to a lawsuit.

-by Collin Sorp

Source: Mashable

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