Kodak Film - branded Kodak Alaris

Any applicable Polaroid patent must have been expired long before the introduction of Instax.

(Likely a different matter with their peel-apart films.)

AgX said:

Any applicable Polaroid patent must have been expired long before the introduction of Instax.

(Likely a different matter with their peel-apart films.)

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Fuji continued to make their version of the Kodak integral film unit film during the law suit and continuously afterwords (which eventually became know as Instax). As I said, Polaroid (for some reason, but I won't speculate what) chose not to sue Fuji as long as they didn't try to sell it in the US or Canada.

I still think Fuji was the real winner in the matter. The law suit went on for 10 years (from '76' to '86') and about 15 years later Polaroid was in bankruptcy. Kodak didn't make out much better. Polaroid could have been a leader in digital imaging in the mid-90s; after I left Kodak and became a technology writer I had many contacts with Polaroid and saw many digital products, some of which (like digital film recorders) went to the marketplace and others (like consumer digital cameras) never saw the light of day. They recognized that consumer digital cameras would destroy what remained of the consumer instant film market (and of course they were correct), but the transition was going to happen with, or without them.

While working on the Kodak Instant Film system at Kodak, I spent time evaluating Polaroid cameras and I had a high regard for the technology that went into their cameras. Their integral film units, 'not so much'.

Prof_Pixel said:

Wrong. At the time of the patent dispute, Fuji was making their version of Kodak Instant Film, but Polaroid chose not to sue Fuji as long as they didn't sell the film in the US or Canada. It was only after Polaroid went 'belly up' that Fuji could start selling their Instax film in the US.

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Hi

Thanks did not know they marketed compatible instant film for Kodak cameras.
It was not available in the UK as far as I was aware. I had to either hang up my Kodak instant cam or drop it off at photo store I got it from. I had bought it from store on that basis...

Do they still market the packs?

I was told Fuji liscenced some of Kodaks patents?

When Polariod went belly up any instant patents that had not expired would have been passed to administrators and still valuable?

Noel

Edit The web says that Polaroid did have a suit with Fuji but settled 'amicably' and that (some of) the Kodak cameras could have been modified at that time...
Missed out on that.

Instax film is not compatible with the Kodak cameras size-wise.

Xmas said:

Thanks did not know they marketed compatible instant film for Kodak cameras.
It was not available in the UK as far as I was aware. I had to either hang up my Kodak instant cam or drop it off at photo store I got it from. I had bought it from store on that basis...

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I think the film was only available in Asia. The packs needed some modification to work in Kodak cameras.

Xmas said:

Do they still market the packs?

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They discontinued the film several years ago.

Xmas said:

I was told Fuji liscenced some of Kodaks patents?

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As I remember it, ultimately it was a patent swap. Kodak got to use some reversal film dye couplers from Fuji. I don't recall if there was any earlier license agreement.

Prof_Pixel said:

I think the film was only available in Asia. The packs needed some modification to work in Kodak cameras.



They discontinued the film several years ago.



As I remember it, ultimately it was a patent swap. Kodak got to use some reversal film dye couplers from Fuji. I don't recall if there was any earlier license agreement.

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Thanks again.

Alaris Branded HC-110 has turned up in my darkroom.

Just to say that I got a bottle of HC-110 from Henry's yesterday and discovered it is now listed as "made in Germany for Kodak Alaris, Hermel Hempstead Hetfortshire, Distributed in USA by Kodak Alaris 2400 Mount Read Blvd, Rochester NY. (Google maps places that address in Kodak Park)

The WHMIS label now lists "Kodak Alaris Operations Canada inc."

My old bottle says made for Kodak SARL Geneva, and distributed in USA by Eastman Kodak.

The WHMIS label on that Bottle says "Kodak Canada Inc."

(WHMIS is the "Workplace Hazardous Material Information System" and is the Little text box surrounded by broken lines on many products, complete with some special icons it is required on that sort of products sold for business use here in Canada, but many products sold elsewhere also have it as it simplifies life for the makers to include it everywhere)