ITC agrees to investigate Apple's patent suit against Kodak

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
Originally sued by Kodak and accused of violating imaging patents owned by the company, Apple's countersuit against the camera maker has been accepted by the U.S. International Trade Commission for review.



The ITC announced this week that Apple's complaint against Kodak, filed on April 15, will be investigated. Apple's complaint alleges that a number of Kodak cameras violate patents owned by Apple, including products from the Z, M and C series.



Specifically cited in Apple's suit are U.S. Patent No. 6,031,934 (entitled "Computer vision system for subject characterization"), and Patent No. RE38,911 (entitled "Modular digital image processing via an image processing chain with modifiable parameter controls"). Apple also filed a civil complaint in a U.S. District Court in the Northern District of California, also alleging infringement of the two patents.



Apple's countersuit is in response to a complaint from Kodak, filed in January, which accused Apple's iPhone of infringing on a patent related to previewing images. Kodak filed one suit with the ITC, and one in a U.S. District Court in New York, and also named Research in Motion's BlackBerry devices as infringing.



The ITC announced in February that it would investigate Kodak's claims against Apple. The commission will decide whether to block the import and sale of products from both companies, including Apple's iPhone.



The ITC's decision comes as no surprise, as the commission usually agrees to look into complaints from major corporations.



The decision is the second ITC-related item regarding Apple this week alone. On Wednesday, Taiwanese handset maker HTC filed a suit with the U.S. commission asking for the importation of the iPhone, iPad and iPod into America to be halted due to the alleged violation of five patents. HTC's suit was filed in response to a suit from Apple in early March.



The ITC has been very busy with Apple lawsuits lately. Last year, Finnish handset maker Nokia sued Apple, and the iPhone maker later countersued, with both companies accusing the other of patent violations. The a lawsuit against Apple was also filed with the commission by Elan Microelectronics.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 9
    zindakozindako Posts: 468member
    When will all these lawsuits come to fruition?
  • Reply 2 of 9
    realisticrealistic Posts: 1,154member
    Think about all the money being spent by all the corporations involved in all these lawsuits. Seems like the more successful the product the more you get sued.
  • Reply 3 of 9
    paulmjohnsonpaulmjohnson Posts: 1,380member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Realistic View Post


    Think about all the money being spent by all the corporations involved in all these lawsuits. Seems like the more successful the product the more you get sued.



    Of course. If your products not successful, patent holders are not going to pay any attention to it.
  • Reply 4 of 9
    goldenclawgoldenclaw Posts: 272member
    Some of these patents seem purposely generic, so that any new product couldn't help but possibly infringe.



    I also can't help but wonder if the U.S. Patent Office would issue a patent for breathing air. They need to start focusing on the details of the technology rather than leaving them so broad and open to interpretation.
  • Reply 5 of 9
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Don't worry, kid. Let the lawyers handle it... (famous last words).
  • Reply 6 of 9
    satcomersatcomer Posts: 130member
    This is a classic tale of why we need software patent reform in the US and around the world. These patents on general ideas is getting old real fast and will inevitably stifle electronic innovation.
  • Reply 7 of 9
    willgonzwillgonz Posts: 30member
    Dear Adobe,



    Flash is a resource hog. On all my computers when I play flash videos (hulu, NBC, etc) and play Flash games my cpu goes max my fan blows and in this hot weather it heats my house. I don't mind it so much in the winter because I use Flash to help heat my home.



    Thanks,

    WillGonz
  • Reply 8 of 9
    mrochestermrochester Posts: 700member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by willgonz View Post


    Dear Adobe,



    Flash is a resource hog. On all my computers when I play flash videos (hulu, NBC, etc) and play Flash games my cpu goes max my fan blows and in this hot weather it heats my house. I don't mind it so much in the winter because I use Flash to help heat my home.



    Thanks,

    WillGonz



    Flash is a resource hog on your Mac, which you bought knowing fine well is a niche player, and thus won't be very well supported software wise. If you want a well supported software experience, buy a Windows PC. Your choice, don't complain
  • Reply 9 of 9
    hill60hill60 Posts: 6,992member
    I guess that explains why Adobe wouldn't bother spending money on full page ads and plastering the Internet with begging letters beseeching Apple to let them play in Apple's playground...



    ...oh, hang on!



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mrochester View Post


    Flash is a resource hog on your Mac, which you bought knowing fine well is a niche player, and thus won't be very well supported software wise. If you want a well supported software experience, buy a Windows PC. Your choice, don't complain



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