Over the last few months the choice of iPhone providers in the UK has increased from 1 to 4, removing for many the perceived hassle of switching networks and (hopefully) resulting in more competitive pricing. But all that could change if Kodak's complaint to the US International Trade Commission is successful.
Kodak is threatening to sue both Apple (and RIM, the manufacturer of BlackBerrys) for alleged infringement of its picture previewing patents, and has asked the ITC to prevent both companies from distributing phones which include that technology. According to reports, Kodak already licenses this technology to other major mobile phone manufacturers and Kodak's chief intellectual property officer is quoted as confirming that its "primary interest is not to disrupt the availability of any product but to obtain fair compensation for the use of [its] technology".
So they don't want to stop you buying one, but they will if they are not getting royalties for it. Entirely justifiable from an IP point of view; clearly if Apple and RIM are using Kodak's IP they should be paying for that. It's just slightly unfortunate in the context of the recently expanded UK iPhone market that those royalties would undoubtedly end up being paid by the consumer.
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