It’s the legal battle that sounds as if it’s been planned by children: Eastman Kodak is suing Shutterfly, alleging that the site is infringing on Kodak patents in its manufacture and sale of photo-based products. In response, Shutterfly is countersuing, arguing that not only is the company not infringing on any patents, but that Kodak is actually infringing on their patents, so there. Both parties are seeking an injunction from the other continuing to offer services which infringe on their patents, as well as damages.
According to a spokesman, Kodak “has invested hundreds of millions of dollars to develop leading technology enabling online imaging systems and services, and, as a result, we have more than 400 patents in this space alone, and thousands more in the broader imaging category.” The company is alleging that Shutterfly is infringing on five of those 400+ patents. Depending on the outcome of this lawsuit, there’s the possibility that Kodak may go to to sue other photo-sharing sites like Flickr or Picasa; the company also currently has ongoing legal battles with Apple.
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