Apple appeals Kodak patent ownership victory, asks judge to be quick about it

Earlier this month, Apple had its claims to a pair of Kodak imaging patents struck down by Judge Gropper for being filed "unreasonably late," risking Kodak's ability to sell the assets. Now, Cupertino is asking Gropper to reconsider for the very same reason, stressing that "a prompt appeal of this order is necessary in view of the prospect that Kodak will seek to sell the patents at issue free and clear of Apple's interests prior to full adjudication of Apple's appeal." In short, Apple's claims were rejected because it was too close to the sale, and now wants to appeal quickly because a pending auction could reassign the patent ownership before it can be reclaimed. Even so, Kodak is no longer sure it wants to sell the digital imaging patents, and made a statement saying that it might decide to keep the portfolio for itself. The lawyers in Cook's kitchen seem hopeful, but realistic, noting additional arguments on the issue may be required, or the appeal might not be allowed to proceed. We'll let you know where this ends up -- Apple's legal team is nothing, after all, if not tenacious.Apple appeals Kodak patent ownership victory, asks judge to be quick about it originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Aug 2012 21:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Judge permits Kodak's patent auction despite Apple's objections

US Bankruptcy Judge Allan Groper said in a Tuesday hearing that struggling Kodak can auction off more than 1,100 patents as part of its bankruptcy restructuring plan, according to a Bloomberg report. The sale will go forward, despite Apple's objection to the auction and its outstanding ownership claims.

Apple previously filed a lawsuit against Kodak claiming that the camera company stole the technology that is included in ten of the patents that Kodak hopes to sell off. Kodak sued to block Apple's ownership claims and the two lawsuits are making their way through the court system.

Kodak said in a statement to Bloomberg that "We are gratified that the court has enabled us to move ahead with our patent auction in a timely manner and with clarity on ownership for the winning buyer." Apple declined to comment.Judge permits Kodak's patent auction despite Apple's objections originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 04 Jul 2012 02:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Kodak expects to exit bankruptcy in Q3 2013

Now with a patent sale, new financing and asset offloads under its belt, Kodak's homing in on when it might emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy. In January, the imaging giant predicted it might finally exit its financial default by mid-2013, and now it's filed paperwork with a New York court indicating it's on track to meet that goal sometime during its third quarter this year. In addition to the timeline update, the Plan of Reorganization and Disclosure Statement outlines how the firm's debts have been settled and its future plans, which place heavy emphasis on its commercial imaging business. A hearing for the document and associated strategy is anticipated to be scheduled in mid-June, and creditors will arrange a vote afterwards to decide if everything's to their liking. Kodak's certainly not out of the woods just yet, but it's plodding steadily towards the clearing.[Image credit: Viktor Nagornyy, Flickr]Filed under: Cameras, MiscCommentsSource: Kodak

Kodak gets the green light to sell digital imaging patents

It's been a long road for Kodak to get to this point, but it seems the floundering company has finally won approval to sell off its digital imaging patents. Over the objections of Apple and Flashpoint (nothing like kicking a company when its down), the Bankruptcy Court awarded Kodak the right to auction off its Digital Capture and Kodak Imaging Systems and Services (KISS) patent portfolios. While the challenges haven't been completely dismissed, the ruling provides an opportunity for the struggling Rochester firm to move ahead with its auction plans in the face of what it calls "baseless claims." Soon enough the bids for the rather sizable and valuable portfolios will start rolling in, and should provide Kodak with enough cash to keep its head above water for a little bit longer. For more detail, check out the PR after the break. [Image Credit: MercerFilm]Continue reading Kodak gets the green light to sell digital imaging patentsKodak gets the green light to sell digital imaging patents originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Jul 2012 12:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Phys.org  |   | Email this | Comments

Kodak gets court approval to borrow $950 million, end theater sponsorship

Kodak took another step along the road to recovery yesterday, after receiving court approval to borrow $950 million in restructuring funds. Nearly a month after the camera maker filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, US Bankruptcy Judge Allen Gropper granted Kodak's request on Thursday, allowing the company to continue operations during its ongoing transition. Gropper's decision, handed down in a Manhattan court, follows a series of negotiations between Kodak and its lenders, and adds an extra $300 million to the $650 million awarded during January's Chapter 11 filing. The company is also allowed to end its sponsorship of the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, after successfully arguing that doing so would be in the best interest of Kodak and its creditors. Under the deal, Kodak is obliged to pay $72 million over the course of 20 years. It currently shells out $3.6 million per year and still has $38 million in outstanding payments, but Kodak's lawyers argued that the agreement was too costly. Kodak Chairman and CEO Antonio Perez issued the following statement in response to yesterday's decision: "Today's agreement is another step towards ensuring that Kodak is positioned to execute on the goals the Company set out last month: Bolster our liquidity in the U.S. and abroad, monetize our non-strategic intellectual property, fairly resolve legacy liabilities, and enable Kodak to focus on its most valuable business lines."Continue reading Kodak gets court approval to borrow $950 million, end theater sponsorshipKodak gets court approval to borrow $950 million, end theater sponsorship originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Feb 2012 04:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Bloomberg  |   | Email this | Comments

Kodak dropping out of the consumer inkjet printer business in 2013

More gloomy news from Kodak: the company just announced that it will stop selling consumer inkjet printers in 2013 and instead focus its efforts on commercial printing products. This decision hardly comes as a surprise: Kodak filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this year and attempted to auction off a stockpile of patents valued at up to $2.6 billion. The company stated on Friday that it expects to take a $90 million hit due to its floundering inkjet business. Kodak's garage sale attracted interest from unlikely alliances in the form of Apple and Microsoft versus Google and Samsung, but reportedly only reeled in disappointing offers under the $500 million mark. Hoping to rebound next year as a "lean," mean, successful machine, we'll just have to wait and see what develops for this fallen photography frontrunner.Continue reading Kodak dropping out of the consumer inkjet printer business in 2013Filed under: PeripheralsKodak dropping out of the consumer inkjet printer business in 2013 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Sep 2012 15:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Fox Business  |  Kodak  | Email this | Comments

Apple taking ownership of patents acquired from Kodak

Last year, a group of 12 licensees bid on 1,100 digital photography patents that were being sold by Kodak as part of bankruptcy proceedings. Although the venerable photography company was hopeful that the sale would be enough to help it restructure, the portfolio sold for only US$525 million to the licensees. Those patents are now being transferred from Kodak to licensees including Apple, with the Cupertino company taking ownership of four patents in the last week.The patents being transferred include US Patent Nos. 8,432,479, which deals with range measurement using a zoom camera; 8,432,472, titled "Camera for displaying digital images"; 8,432,456 for a "Digital camera for sharing digital images"; and 8,432,461 for a "Wireless camera with automatic wake-up and transfer capability and transfer status display." In each case, Apple is listed as the assignee of the patent in question.Other companies that will receive patents as part of the sale include Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Samsung, Adobe, Amazon, LG and HTC. Each company receives rights to Kodak's digital imaging patents and other intellectual property, although Kodak also retains rights to use those patents in any future business or subsidiary.Kodak may be edging closer to emerging from bankruptcy; on Monday, the company announced that it will be spinning off the document and personal imaging units to its British pension plan for $650 million.Apple taking ownership of patents acquired from Kodak originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 30 Apr 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Kodak sells imaging patents to pay down debt

Struggling imaging company Kodak announced today that it sold its digital imaging patents to pay off its debts as it moves through bankruptcy. The US$525 million portfolio was purchased by patent licensing companies Intellectual Ventures and RPX Corporation. Intellectual Ventures will pay a portion of this $525 M figure, while the rest will come from 12 licensees including Apple, Google and RIM. As part of this transaction, Kodak agrees to settle current patent-related litigation involving the participants, including Apple. Apple and Kodak have battled in court over imaging patents, some of which were developed during the time Kodak worked with Apple on the QuickTake 100 digital camera. In the course of the legal proceedings, Kodak sued Apple and Apple countersued Kodak claiming the company misappropriated the digital imaging technology from this collaboration. [Via The Verge]Kodak sells imaging patents to pay down debt originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 19 Dec 2012 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Kodak patent auction gets the go ahead despite Apple objections

Photography giant Kodak has been circling the drain as its fortunes have taken a turn for the worse. The company entered bankruptcy protection from creditors a while back and has been eyeing a patent auction to help generate money to reorganizing and come back from bankruptcy. The problem for Kodak so far has been in Read The Full Story

Kodak closes its digital imaging patent sale, settles disputes

Kodak has had many scary moments in its recent history, not the least of which was wondering whether or not it could sell digital imaging patents to help escape bankruptcy. It's putting some of that trauma to rest now that it has officially closed the recently approved sale. The $527 million deal shares 1,100 patents with a complex web of companies, including Apple and Google, operating under alliances led by Intellectual Ventures and RPX. The buyers intend to use the patents as defenses against imaging-related lawsuits, and they've agreed to settle any remaining legal entanglements with Kodak in the process. Kodak still stands to gain the most from the deal, however: the cash helps repay a large chunk of a key loan, and it reassures the potential financiers that the company needs to leave bankruptcy by mid-2013. We still won't get back the Kodak we once knew, but the name will at least soldier on.Filed under: Cameras, Apple, GoogleComments