Multi-national photography corporation Eastman Kodak Co has reportedly filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Shutterfly.com, an online photo-sharing network.
Kodak has its own online photo-sharing service, called the Kodak Gallery. This service operates in direct competition with Shutterfly, with both services offering printing, uploading and other photo-related services (i.e. coffee mugs and calendars).
Shutterfly representatives have confirmed that they have received notice of the legal action taken against them by Kodak, although details of the specific patents the company is believed to have infringed upon have not yet been released. The New York-based company Kodak is reportedly seeking an injunction based on patent infringement.
In the latest development in the case, Shutterfly.com has launched its own patent infringement countersuit against Eastman Kodak Co. The company, based in California, is also seeking an injunction as well as damages in the case.
Now that two lawsuits have been launched, both Kodak and Shutterfly are likely to be preparing for a lengthy legal battle. As this could potentially prove extremely expensive, both companies will need to have professional indemnity insurance in place to cover legal costs and damages.