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Two weeks ago, Eastman Kodak Inc filed lawsuits against Apple Inc and Research In Motion (RIM) Ltd over patent infringments on their digital-imaging technology.  Kodak alleged that Apple’s iPhones and RIM’s camera-enabled BlackBerry phones infringe on a Kodak patent that covers technology related to image previewing. Kodak also filed two other suits against Apple that claim patent infringement “related to digital cameras and certain computer processes“.

In the first suit against Apple, Kodak alleges infringement of two patents generally covering image preview and the processing of images of different resolutions. In the second suit, Kodak alleges infringement of patents that describe a method by which a computer program can “ask for help” from another application to carry out certain computer-oriented functions. The allegations in the second suit apply to any Apple product that uses the processing method described above. The patents at issue in the second suit were previously the subject of litigation between Kodak and Sun Microsystems Inc. Sun paid Kodak an undisclosed sum of money in return for a license for the patents.

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