Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Good chance that all those other companies paid up for a license to Kodak. Kodak is one of those companies who invested a lot in fundamental long range research. Basic optics, basic chemistry. and so on.

More likely these other companies have patents that Kodak's cameras/printers are likely infringing, and Kodak prefers not to start a fight where it isn't carrying the biggest guns.
 
I never said everyone. Look at Apple marketing. They market 'cool'. For a lot of people they have bought into the Apple image of cool. They take this and make it a part of their image. These types of people have to defend Apple because they have made owning Apple part of their personal image.

Me, I own a MBP because at the time it was the least bad out of the other options available (even though I still drop keystokes, have had a bad battery and bad video card). When it's time to buy again I'll make another assessment and go from there. A computer is just a tool, not an image.

I would argue Apple hardware is beyond a mere "cool" image. The OS is more intuitive than even Windows 7, the hardware made of better materials than PCs of similar price, and general operation is generally less of a headache compared to Windows.

You are correct, a computer is just a tool. But I think that is why people who buy Macs buy them over PCs; they recognize they are the better tool. Maybe I don't hang with many materialistic people, but I don't know anyone who sees Macs as a status symbol on the level of say True Religion or Joe's Jeans.
 
Anyone know the patent number(s)?
Well, there's this bit from the article:
On Dec. 17, in an action involving Samsung and Kodak, an ITC Administrative Law Judge issued a ruling declaring that the Kodak patent covering color image preview (No. 6,292,218) was valid and enforceable, and that Samsung’s camera-enabled mobile devices infringed upon that Kodak patent.
Would that be why they are now going after Apple and RIM?
 
At least they way Kodak has presented this is quite Professional and Mature... unlike Nokia...

They both went about it the same way. The only immaturity going on is the community of people standing blindly behind Apple at every turn. This Kodak suit in my opinion bring validity to Nokias. Apple is refusing to negotiate with the people whos patents they are infringing upon.
 
Well, there's this bit from the article:

Would that be why they are now going after Apple and RIM?

It might be one of them, though it's not clear from the article. This particular one uses means-function claims, which mean the claims aren't as broad as they might appear to a layman - not clear that iPhone would infringe.
 
I never said everyone. Look at Apple marketing. They market 'cool'. For a lot of people they have bought into the Apple image of cool. They take this and make it a part of their image. These types of people have to defend Apple because they have made owning Apple part of their personal image.

Me, I own a MBP because at the time it was the least bad out of the other options available (even though I still drop keystokes, have had a bad battery and bad video card). When it's time to buy again I'll make another assessment and go from there. A computer is just a tool, not an image.

People FALL IN LOVE with APPLE cause their different with their approach to how we use computers and what they do. Your right they market much better then the competition.

People gravitate to NEW things NEW="COOL", since Apple can continually produce beautifully designed hardware and very capable software, they set themselves apart from the competition.

Plus the companies mystic of secrecy has made it the spotlight of attention no matter what it does.

People are curious about those who are secretive... If you like a girl/guy your curiosity compels you to learn more about them and to want them more and more, that "wanting" grows even more if the person shows signs of "playing hard to get" with you.

Apple has done this on the consumer level. People want to know more about what the company does but Apple plays hard to get with the industry, thus creating fascination and appeal or "cool" factor amongst the industry.

The "FANBOYS" who defend Apple defend them like a boyfriend defends there girlfriend or vice versa, due to this environment created by the company.
 
If you can't win in the marketplace, go to the courts!

It's a shame Kodak couldn't see what was coming and hung on to film technology too long. They could have owned the consumer camera market. And then they wouldn't need to go after every company with a camera and deep pockets.

This made no sense.

Apple didn't invent the MP3 player, and yet its hoarding the marketplace. Kodak may have invented the digital camera, but its canon and nikon that have capitalized with better products (and likely other patents that have restricted kodak from going further; Image Stabalizer comes to mind).
 
I love these threads. 70% of posters click on the "negative" button on the front page (why do those even exist?) and post about how any patent against Apple is baseless and just "jealous companies" who can't compete. It's funny, but basically the reason why I am rarely at MR for Mac related discussion anymore; the fanboys have pretty much ended any intelligent discourse.

Didn't used to be that way... anyone have opinions on when the tipping point was around here?

Well it certainly wasn't the switching campaign. That was a fail. I think the iPhone era started all of this. These days it's all about image... I just prefer. (See sig)
 
Legally Kodak must defend its patent for it to remain valid.

This is not trademark law. Kodak could sit on its patent for years while competitors and other manufacturers “infringed” on the patent before making a legal move.

Not enforcing your patent, doesn’t invalidate it.

"A patent is, in effect, a limited property right that the government offers to inventors in exchange for their agreement to share the details of their inventions with the public. Like any other property right, it may be sold, licensed, mortgaged, assigned or transferred, given away, or simply abandoned.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patent

Many companies knowingly wait for competitors to build and sell products that infringe on their patents simply to obtain more money from them.

In fact, by Kodak suing Apple for patent infringement they open their patent up to being invalidated by the court. It’s a major risk for the patent holder. That’s why private patent licensing agreements are ideal.
 
Apple should just pay this one, they don't compete in products, they just want their research to be respected.

By the way, without KODAK lithography techniques to produce microchips would not be where they are today! And since Apple stuff is packed with microchips I'd just pay them!
 
The "FANBOYS" who defend Apple defend them like a boyfriend defends there girlfriend or vice versa...

This is very true. Notice how anytime a news story is posted about apple it always gets positive rankings, but any time it shows a competitor of apples with equally good/potential products gets negative rankings? Or how about when apple sues another company, the fanboys rejoice, but when someone sues apple, they fight like its for their life.

I can only see people on macrumors (and especially the guys behind engadget.com) as apple evangelicals/cult radicals with blinders on. Steve Jobs says 'Jump' and the sheep say 'how high?'

Anyone remember Apples 1984 advertising? It looks a little like this:

steve_bigbrother_jobs.jpg
 
Well, there's this bit from the article:

Would that be why they are now going after Apple and RIM?

I haven't had a chance to read the patent in detail, but the short description scares me. It sounds like a patent on *displaying* the data coming from a sensor whose only point is to record light so it can be *displayed* later. Hopefully there's more going on than that. If not, my (already badly damaged) faith in the USPTO has taken (yet another) hit.
 
Legally Kodak must defend its patent for it to remain valid. That means it has no choice but to file this suit. But this suit is not about jumping on the Apple or RIM money train. If you read the linked press release here is why Kodak is going forward with the suit:

Kodak has licensed digital imaging technology to approximately 30 companies, including such leading mobile-device companies as LG, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, and Sony Ericsson, all of which are royalty bearing to Kodak.

If Kodak does not defend its patent then its licensing agreements it has with every other company regarding this technology is in jeopardy of becoming invalid, and then we are talking big bucks.

Absolutely not true. Kodak doesn't have to do _anything_. This case is only about getting money from Apple and RIM; not suing these doesn't make a patent invalid at all. (When I say "only about getting money", that shouldn't be seen as negative. That is what patents should be for: To produce some valuable IP and license it to others for money).

Trademarks need to be defended; if Dell built a phone and called it "iPhone" and Apple didn't do anything, then after a few years Apple's "iPhone" trademark would be gone. Patents and copyright don't need to be defended.
 
This is very true. Notice how anytime a news story is posted about apple it always gets positive rankings, but any time it shows a competitor of apples with equally good/potential products gets negative rankings? Or how about when apple sues another company, the fanboys rejoice, but when someone sues apple, they fight like its for their life.

I can only see people on macrumors (and especially the guys behind engadget.com) as apple evangelicals/cult radicals with blinders on. Steve Jobs says 'Jump' and the sheep say 'how high?'

Anyone remember Apples 1984 advertising? It looks a little like this:

steve_bigbrother_jobs.jpg

Some one should post a story of a new piece of nice looking hardware with specs, including a picture of an Apple logo - watch the "fan boys" love it to pieces. Then, later, give an Update that reveals, the hardware is not indeed from Apple.

That would be fun! :D

( the objective: not to make them feel stupid, but to allow them time to think about things )
 
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_1_2 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7D11 Safari/528.16)

Kodak need to move on from film cameras. Maybe this is there way.
 
You know how you can tell Kodak is right in this case?

It says Apple's been talking to them about this for years. This means Apple knows Kodak has a good case. If Kodak was just making stuff up then Apple would have just laughed at them and said "See you in court!" years ago.

Did Apple attempt to negotiate with Pystar for years? Yeah, didn't think so.

You are presuming context to the "discussion" that may not be there. Here's a possible dialog:

Kodak: You are infringing our patents & you should pay us $X/unit sold.

Apple: We aren't infringing your patents, this is technology we developed. Go away.

Now every 2 months, Kodak calls up Apple & has the same conversation. So, yes telling Apple the same thing for years could be argued as a discussion, but without knowing the content, we can't make an argument that Apple believed Kodak had any sort of a case based on one side's definition of a conversation.
 
Can someone please tell me how Apple is infringing? Specifically what aspect of their product is infringing on Kodak's intellectual property. Is it a certain gesture or how pictures slide from left-to-right on an LCD screen?
 
Oh....my.....god...SERIOUSLY.

Who the hell is next in line to sue Apple? Oh hey, what a surprise...another failing company...
 
Oh....my.....god...SERIOUSLY.

Who the hell is next in line to sue Apple? Oh hey, what a surprise...another failing company...
[/QUOTE]

So, when Apple next sues for patent infringement, this would be an indication that Apple are failing?


Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_1_2 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7D11 Safari/528.16)

Kodak need to move on from film cameras. Maybe this is there way.

So, your saying Kodak shouldn't be protecting their IP?

Anyway, how is protecting their IP allowing them to move on?

I'm sure Kodak have more than enough $$ to venture into other related markets.


--

Wish people would think about things over more....
 
Can someone please tell me how Apple is infringing? Specifically what aspect of their product is infringing on Kodak's intellectual property. Is it a certain gesture or how pictures slide from left-to-right on an LCD screen?

We don't know what patents are allegedly infringed. One patent that has been mentioned, however, covers displaying an image on an LCD screen and then capturing it into memory (uninteresting details omitted).
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.