Apple to bankruptcy judge: may I please sue Kodak again?

Apple has asked a bankruptcy judge for permission to sue Eastman Kodak over allegations it’s infringing patents that Apple says cover technologies used in printers, digital cameras and digital picture frames, reports “Bloomberg” (http://macte.ch/JBIpl).

The article adds that Apple said in a filing Tuesday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York that it intends to file a complaint against Kodak at the International Trade Commission and a corresponding suit in U.S. District Court in Manhattan based on patent-infringement claims. The suit will seek an order blocking Kodak’s infringement, according to the filing.

This is part of an ongoing battle. In January Kodak filed lawsuits against Apple and HTC Corp., alleging the infringement of certain Kodak patents relating to digital imaging technology. A complaint filed with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) specifically claimed that certain of Apple’s iPhones, iPads, and iPods, and certain of HTC’s smartphones and tablets infringe Kodak patents that relate to technology for transmitting images.

Kodak also alleged that certain of HTC’s smartphones infringe a patent that covers technology related to a method for previewing images which is already the subject of pending actions against Apple. Separately, Kodak filed suits against Apple and HTC in U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York alleging the same infringement.

In the January complaint against Apple and HTC, Kodak sought from the ITC an exclusion order preventing the importation of infringing devices, including mobile telephones and wireless communication devices featuring digital cameras. In the suits against Apple and HTC in U.S. District Court, Kodak alleged infringement of the same patents and is seeking to permanently enjoin Apple and HTC from further infringement, as well as the recovery of damages.
It’s a case of “he said, she said.” Apple sued Kodak in April 2010, about three months after Kodak accused Apple and Research In Motion of infringing a patent related to ways of previewing images. Apple’s countersuit said Kodak devices copy the technology that it uses in Macs, iPhone, iTunes and Photo Booth involving image processing, energy management and memory design.