Eastman Kodak Co. files bankrupy and sued by Japan’s Kyocera Corp

Eastman Kodak Co. (EKDKQ), the bankrupt photography company, was sued by Japan’s Kyocera Corp. (6971) for allegedly infringing more than a dozen U.S. patents with its printers and digital cameras.

Kodak, based in Rochester, New York, will cause “irreparable harm” to Kyoto-based Kyocera if the infringement isn’t stopped, plaintiff’s lawyers said in a complaint filed Dec. 4 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan.

Kyocera is seeking a jury trial and unspecified damages from Kodak, which has been trying to sell some of its own patents to pay creditors.

Kodak sought bankruptcy protection in January 2012, citing $5.1 billion in assets and $6.75 billion in debt, as the transition to digital photography eroded the company’s film- based business.

Christopher Veronda, a Kodak spokesman, didn’t immediately return voice and e-mail messages seeking comment on the lawsuit.

The bankruptcy case is In re Eastman Kodak Co., 12-10202, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan).

Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-01-07/kodak-disney-apple-dc-comics-intellectual-property.html?cmpid=yhoo