Another Update on Kodak’s Patent Sale
We reported yesterday that Kodak was considering keeping the patents which they originally put up for auction earlier this month. Now it appears that, according to multiple sources that some of the companies rumored to be bidding against each other have supposedly joined forces to fight against a common enemy.
Apple, Google, HTC, LG, and Samsung reportedly have chosen to align with each other to prevent Intellectual Ventures from gaining control of these important patents. The company is rated as the “‘fifth largest patent holder in the US’”, and through its business dealings has “gained a reputation for using patents it acquires to ‘file infringement lawsuits against other companies’”. It is because of this very fact that the aforementioned companies not normally known to work together, have put aside their competition with each other to unite under one “banner”.
Another potential bidder who has been mentioned now is RPX Corp. According the reports, they are also interested in “trying to prevent being sued by a patent troll”.
The partnership among Apple, Google, HTC, LG, and Samsung was not completely received as good news by everyone. Esopus Creek Value Series Fund LP, a NY-based hedge fund that possesses Kodak’s 9.75% Senior Secured Notes has asked the trustee, Tracy Hope Davis, who was given the responsibility of overseeing this bankruptcy process, to take a look at how this patent auction has been handled thus far and stated their feeling that this ‘unusually secretive’ bidding process would not benefit those who have acted as creditors for the OEM.
A spokesperson for Kodak stated that all of the procedures used in this auction were approved by the court, and further, that the court had ruled that all the parties involved should ‘maintain confidentiality’.
It seems fairly safe to say that this saga is far from over, and that the eventual sale or reversal by Kodak will have implications for all the parties involved.
From Internet
