Ownership of imaging patents acquired from Kodak now being transferred to Apple

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
Filings with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office revealed on Tuesday that the transfer of a number of patents from Kodak to Apple has begun, with the iPhone maker taking ownership of several patents covering aspects of digital photography.

kodak


Thursday saw the filing of U.S. Patent Nos. 8,432,479, 8,432,472, 8,432,456, and 8,432,461. The patents in question cover measurement of range using a zoom camera, displaying and sharing digital images, and wireless sharing of digital images via a network.

Apple will likely put the patents to use further protecting from litigation its bestselling line of iOS devices, as well as its Mac computers. Apple does not make a standalone digital camera, but nearly every major device it produces currently features a built-in camera.

Kodak has been unable to adjust to the fast-shifting realities of the digital photography world, despite having invented the digital camera. The 125-year-old firm filed for bankruptcy in recent years, and the sale of 1,100 digital photography-related patent holdings was a was a condition put forth by the company's lenders.

Apple, Google, and Microsoft were some of the largest names in tech companies eager to snatch up Kodak's patents, thought the patents eventually fetched a lower price than Kodak had been expecting. The firm wound up selling its portfolio for $525 million to a total of 12 licensees. Under the terms of the agreement, approved in January of this year, each licensee will receive rights with respect to Kodak's digital imaging patent portfolio and other intellectual property.

Kodak, too, will retain rights to use the patents in question in its future businesses, as will any subsidiaries the company spins off in its efforts to regain solvency.

Aside from Apple, Microsoft, and Google, the two groups of licensees seeking access to Kodak's patents included Facebook, Samsung, Adobe, Amazon, LG, and HTC.

Kodak also announced on Monday that it would be spinning off its document and personal imaging units to its British pension plan. The deal, which will leave Kodak's British pensioners in control of the units, will bring in $650 million for Kodak, bringing it closer to emerging from bankruptcy. The roughly 15,000 U.K. retirees plan to establish a governance structure for the divisions, with the aim of forming them into a business that can generate enough funds to satisfy pension obligations, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 16
    shogunshogun Posts: 362member
    It's shameful that I can't airdrop a picture from my iPhone to my imac. Maybe the wireless sharing of pics over a network will free them to let me squirt my pictures easily and freely.
  • Reply 2 of 16
    enzosenzos Posts: 344member
    Such a shame that Kodak is no more. How quickly they fell! Used their photography products since the 1970s and even had a 2003 Kodak compact camera like the one pictured, which was excellent.

    At least Apple is another American brand to carry on if just a small part of their legacy.
  • Reply 3 of 16
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    shogun wrote: »
    It's shameful that I can't airdrop a picture from my iPhone to my imac. Maybe the wireless sharing of pics over a network will free them to let me squirt my pictures easily and freely.

    ... what's wrong with Photostream?
  • Reply 4 of 16
    shogunshogun Posts: 362member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by digitalclips View Post





    ... what's wrong with Photostream?


    Just too many steps, not hard, but too many steps.  In the share zone there should be an "airdrop" option.  I click it and a window pops up on my mac (a la iChat file sharing) that says, "Bob's iPhone has sent you an image.  Would you like to download it?  I click "Yes" and boom, there's the file.

  • Reply 5 of 16
    sockrolidsockrolid Posts: 2,789member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Shogun View Post


    Just too many steps, not hard, but too many steps.  In the share zone there should be an "airdrop" option.  I click it and a window pops up on my mac (a la iChat file sharing) that says, "Bob's iPhone has sent you an image.  Would you like to download it?  I click "Yes" and boom, there's the file.



     


    Really?  Too many steps?


     


    Could you explain how one step is too many?


    (This is going to be good.)

  • Reply 6 of 16
    jfc1138jfc1138 Posts: 3,090member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SockRolid View Post


     


    Really?  Too many steps?


     


    Could you explain how one step is too many?


    (This is going to be good.)



    Sort of my reaction: except, what steps? I take the shot and by the time I get to my Mac it's already there.


     


    Total number of "steps": zero.

  • Reply 7 of 16
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by enzos View Post



    Such a shame that Kodak is no more. 


    I'm pretty sure they will emerge from bankruptcy with some other business model. Probably something in the professional or medical industry as they still have a presence there.

  • Reply 8 of 16
    shogunshogun Posts: 362member
    jfc1138 wrote: »
    Sort of my reaction: except, what steps? I take the shot and by the time I get to my Mac it's already there.

    Total number of "steps": zero.

    You guys are so clever. Say I'm in your living room and I want to send a picture to your Mac. How many steps?
  • Reply 9 of 16
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member


    Originally Posted by Shogun View Post

    You guys are so clever. Say I'm in your living room and I want to send a picture to your Mac. How many steps?


     


    How do you expect us to answer that when you don't tell us what hardware you have on you?

  • Reply 10 of 16
    shogunshogun Posts: 362member
    Are you serious? How tall of skill does it take to follow a chain of replies? IPHONE to IMAC. Don't answer for my sake, I know the answer, thus the well intentioned initial reply before all the cranks came out to play.
  • Reply 11 of 16


    As with many businesses, Kodak derived considerable revenue supplying the military. Time was an aerial photograph was on film returned to earth for processing. Instant information is clearly preferred by the military. Of course, satellites now use digital cameras.  Airplanes were routinely inspected by wrapping them with film for X-rays.


     


    My lamentation for Kodak fades when I marvel at pictures from Mars rovers transmitted by radio.


     


    I miss the days of Polaroid test prints prior to exposing "real film" (Kodak).

  • Reply 12 of 16
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member


    Originally Posted by Shogun View Post

    How tall of skill…


     


    Since you're not a commander-in-chief in feudal Japan, how about sticking to the argument instead of ad-homs?






    Don't answer for my sake, I know the answer…



    Then don't ask the question. image

  • Reply 13 of 16
    analogjackanalogjack Posts: 1,073member
    shogun wrote: »
    It's shameful that I can't airdrop a picture from my iPhone to my imac. Maybe the wireless sharing of pics over a network will free them to let me squirt my pictures easily and freely.

    What about Instashare <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/instashare-transfer-files/id576220851?mt=8&uo=4" target="itunes_store"><img src="http://forums.appleinsider.com/content/type/61/id/24320/" alt="Instashare - Transfer files the easy way, AirDrop for iOS & OSX - Lukas Foldyna" style="border: 0;"/></a>
  • Reply 14 of 16
    hill60hill60 Posts: 6,992member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Shogun View Post





    You guys are so clever. Say I'm in your living room and I want to send a picture to your Mac. How many steps?


     


    iMessage, shared photostream, a couple of steps.

  • Reply 15 of 16
    shogun wrote: »
    Just too many steps, not hard, but too many steps.  In the share zone there should be an "airdrop" option.  I click it and a window pops up on my mac (a la iChat file sharing) that says, "Bob's iPhone has sent you an image.  Would you like to download it?  I click "Yes" and boom, there's the file.

    That's pretty much what happens if you send it via iMessage, it will pop up on the OSX version if you have it setup, as well as their other apple devices.
  • Reply 16 of 16
    konqerrorkonqerror Posts: 685member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by greenwire View Post


     Airplanes were routinely inspected by wrapping them with film for X-rays.



     


    Kodak very successfully transitioned from film X-ray to digital x-ray, both for medical and industrial inspection. They also sold a popular digital dental office system with digital x-rays and charts. Because of this, the whole division was sold off for cash in 2007 and is now called Carestream.


     


    Another part of Kodak that did well was their non-photographic chemical operations. That separated in 1994 and is called Eastman Chemical.


     


    Kodak never got into the big defense business. While Kodak might have made the film, other companies like Perkin-Elmer and Itek manufactured the cameras, optics, and the satellites.

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