Kodak Concedes Difficulty in Drawing Lead Bidder for Patents

Photo Engineer

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RattyMouse said:
So one can assume that all this talk about Kodak selling patents does not involve the film ones, correct?

A shame since whoever would buy the film patents would be the most interested in keeping it going.
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You are making an assumption that seems to be counter to Kodak's statement that their patent portfolio was for sale. This did not seem to exclude anything AFAIK.

PE
 

RattyMouse

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Wow that's a lot of patents. I wonder when the most recent patent was awarded to Kodak. Can't believe they are doing much R & D anymore.
 
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Prof_Pixel

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According to MacRumors ( http://www.macrumors.com/ ) "The patents are being sold in two lots: the digital-capture portfolio related to capturing and processing images on cameras, smartphones and tablets; and the Kodak Imaging Systems and Services patents related to storing and analyzing images, among other things"

The WSJ article mentions "Eastman Kodak Co. has put 1,100 patents on the block" (You can't read the entire article without subscribing).

From the above, it doesn't appear patents relating to film are being offered.
 

kuparikettu

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The bidding, however, might be off to an inauspicious start. The
Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that the opening bids from the two consortiums were unexpectedly low, in the range of $150 million to $250 million.

However, that can change. Nortel Networks Inc. sold its patent portfolio last year for $4.5 billion, five times the initial bids of $900 million.
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Well, we don't have to speculate long, the auction is tomorrow AFAIK.
 

Curt

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More than anyone person has or would want to spend. It's a mess, who'd want to get involved in it?
 

RattyMouse

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Curt said:
More than anyone person has or would want to spend. It's a mess, who'd want to get involved in it?
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I dont think a single person has ever put forward a scenario where Kodak's film division is spun off successfully or bought out by another company. Kodak is worth so little now that anyone with a decent plan for Kodak could snap up the film and run with it, IF it could be done profitably.

Such a shame. I am more grateful than ever now for Ilford.
 

ME Super

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I think Ilford should buy it. Then they'd have color neg and b&w film.
 

Photo Engineer

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According to the news here, we should have more information by the 13th. That is when the auction results will be made public..

PE
 

Ken Nadvornick

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RattyMouse said:
Such a shame. I am more grateful than ever now for Ilford.
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I came to that same conclusion years ago after listening carefully to what Kodak's upper management and board of directors were saying publicly about where they were taking the company. The end result was therefore no surprise. At least to me. I'm largely over the trauma now, having reached that fifth grief-coping stage of final reconciliation and acceptance.

I have compared the Kodak fiasco as similar to standing next to the railroad tracks, trying to convince someone standing on them to step off because a train is coming. The closer the train comes, the more anguished the plea. But no matter what's said, the person can't be convinced that anything is wrong, and won't budge. Eventually you might get them to turn around and look. But when they respond, "Oh that. No worries. That's not a train," all you can do is shake your head, turn around, and walk away. No need to look back. You already know what's going to happen. Everybody not standing on the tracks knows it...

Now when this subject comes up I usually just sigh and continue walking away. Last weekend I was out with my new Fuji GF670 loaded with Ilford film. Hung out at a local public fishing pier all afternoon. Everyone knew what I was doing, but no one cared. It was very relaxing.

But it is a shame.

Ken
 

RattyMouse

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ME Super said:
I think Ilford should buy it. Then they'd have color neg and b&w film.
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No way. That would put Ilford in way too much risk. We'd risk losing everything if Ilford had the Kodak boat anchor attached to them. It's a nice fantasy, but let's keep it real.
 

Roger Cole

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Though I'd hate to lose Tri-X I can live very well without Kodak in black and white. The real loss would be color negative as Fuji just doesn't have anything as good as Portra and Ektar. Sigh.
 

RattyMouse

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Roger Cole said:
Though I'd hate to lose Tri-X I can live very well without Kodak in black and white. The real loss would be color negative as Fuji just doesn't have anything as good as Portra and Ektar. Sigh.
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I'm playing with Reala right now (in 120) and am finding it quite good. I guess that is no longer available in 135.
 

Roger Cole

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Reala I have not tried, so I'll have to reserve judgement on that. But it's not available in 35m OR sheets, at least not in the US (with the usual possible exceptions of directly importing it, if it's available elsewhere.)

Fuji COULD, and their 160 was pretty good. It just seems Fuji ceded negative film to Kodak and Kodak ceded positive film to Fuji. That might change if Kodak goes away, granted.
 
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BrianShaw

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Well lets not start crying in our milk quite yet, folks. It ain't over yet.
 

SkipA

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What's for sale? I thought it was Kodak digital patents, some 1100 of them. That's what the article linked in the OP and a couple of subsequent posters have said.

Suppose someone buys them and Kodak doesn't have to file chapter 8, what of the film and paper division? Is there any reason to think that Kodak will continue to produce and market film and paper? It doesn't seem like there's enough money there to keep Kodak going.
 

RattyMouse

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When was the last time Kodak turned a profit? It has been many, many years hasn't it? That tells us something.
 
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