Samsung, LG say no Kodak patents violated

SEOUL, Nov. 18 (Yonhap) -- Samsung Electronics Co. and LG Electronics Inc. rebutted Tuesday Eastman Kodak Co.'s complaint that they have infringed upon patents owned by the U.S. photography company.

The 128-year-old U.S. company filed a complaint with the International Trade
Commission (ITC) in Washington on Tuesday (local time), alleging that the two
companies violated its patents related to processing digital images, according to
Bloomberg. Kodak requested an import ban of the companies' handsets with digital
cameras.
The South Korean companies both said they have not been contacted by the ITC so
far and still have yet to fully review the case. They both claim that they have
not violated any Kodak patents.
"We have always respected the patent rights of others and have sought legal
measures against these groundless allegations," said Lee Seung-han a spokesperson
at Samsung Electronics.
"We will prove that the complaint is groundless and push our efforts to provide
the best products to customers," he added.
Choi Jun-hyuk, a spokesperson at LG, also said that the technology used in LG
mobile phones differs from that of Kodak and that the company plans to handle the
issue via proactive legal measures.
On Monday, Spansion Inc., a Silicon Valley company, also filed an import ban
request with the ITC over Samsung's flash memory products, claiming that the
South Korean company had violated numerous patents. It also asked the courts to
ban the sale of devices like Apple Inc.'s iPod, which uses Samsung's memory
products.
odissy@yna.co.kr
(END)