Apple Seeks Bankruptcy Court's Blessing to Sue Kodak over Patents

With Kodak having filed last-minute patent lawsuits against Apple and HTC as it was heading into bankruptcy last month, Bloomberg reports that Apple is looking to assert itself against the pioneering photography company with a new lawsuit alleging infringement of Apple-held patents.

apple old kodak logos
While Apple says in its filing with the bankruptcy court overseeing Kodak's case that it is not required to seek approval for a lawsuit, Apple notes that it is requesting the court's blessing "out of an abundance of caution".

Apple Inc. asked a bankruptcy judge for permission to sue Eastman Kodak Co. over allegations it’s infringing patents that Apple says cover technologies used in printers, digital cameras and digital picture frames. [...]

While arguing bankruptcy law doesn’t prevent the filing of infringement suits against a company in court protection, “Apple requests express authority from this court before it initiates the actions out of an abundance of caution,” the company’s lawyers wrote in the filing.

In a separate case, Apple has been contending that it is the rightful owner of a patent currently held by Kodak. Apple claims that through its partnership with Kodak to produce QuickTake digital cameras during the mid-1990s, Kodak misappropriated intellectual property involved in the project and patented it for itself.

quicktake 100
Apple QuickTake 100, manufactured by Kodak (Source: Time)

Apple last month filed a petition with Kodak's bankruptcy court requesting that Kodak not be permitted to use the disputed patent to secure loans supporting the company's restructuring until ownership of the patent is resolved. The U.S. International Trade Commission has preliminarily rejected Apple's ownership claims, but the case and a parallel federal lawsuit remain pending.

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

Apple Shows Off a Key Reason to Upgrade to the iPhone 17

Saturday February 7, 2026 9:26 am PST by
Apple today shared an ad that shows how the upgraded Center Stage front camera on the latest iPhones improves the process of taking a group selfie. "Watch how the new front facing camera on iPhone 17 Pro takes group selfies that automatically expand and rotate as more people come into frame," says Apple. While the ad is focused on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, the regular iPhone...
Finder Siri Feature

Why Apple's iOS 26.4 Siri Upgrade Will Be Bigger Than Originally Promised

Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do. The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up. Upgraded Architecture The next-generation...
wwdc sans text feature

Apple Rumored to Announce New Product on February 19

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld. Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

Apple Says These 7 U.S. States Plan to Offer iPhone Driver's Licenses

Monday February 9, 2026 6:24 am PST by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Apple Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, and then use it to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. The feature is currently available in 13 U.S. states and Puerto Rico, and it is expected to launch in at least seven more in the future. To set up the...
14 inch MacBook Pro Keyboard

New MacBook Pros Could Now Arrive in March

Sunday February 8, 2026 6:02 am PST by
New MacBook Pro models with the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips could arrive as soon as Monday, March 2, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In today's "Power On" newsletter, Gurman said that the release of new MacBook Pro models is tied to the release of macOS Tahoe 26.3. The launch is said to be slated for as early as the week of March 2. He added that the M4 Pro and M4 Max models on sale today...

Top Rated Comments

Spock Avatar
183 months ago
Apple should just buyout Kodak, discontinue the entire line, consume all patents and sell the name. Done.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
daverso Avatar
183 months ago
didn't Tim Cook just say they had a more cash than they need, or something like that?
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Hayman1995 Avatar
183 months ago
Kick them when they're down.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TrentS Avatar
183 months ago
Law Suits

Dang, I should have studied to become a patent attorney.

:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
wikus Avatar
183 months ago
That is low.

I thought with the absence of steve jobs apple would become less of a douchey company, but its actually gotten worse.

nice to see apple turn into everything it was against.

Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
emaja Avatar
183 months ago
Can we change the name of this website to "AppleLawsuits.com"?

With all the litigation, I feel like it at least deserves its own sub-forum or tab at the top.

:p
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)