started a chatGPT research, didn't follow up on the links but the summary sounds extremely convincing:
Short answer: it’s a trademark/licensing issue — not a chemistry change.
- In 2023 Eastman Kodak applied to (re-)register XTOL as a U.S. trademark. In 2024 the application was opposed by Blue ISO Limited and, after an inter-partes proceeding, Kodak’s application was abandoned on Nov 13, 2024. That means Kodak (and its current chemistry licensee) couldn’t freely use “XTOL” as a product name in the U.S. anymore. (TTABVUE, Trademark Registration Online)
- Kodak’s current chemicals licensee, Photo Systems Inc. (PSI), explains that several classic Kodak chemistry names had to be changed specifically “to prevent conflict or confusion with a previous brand licensee that had used the trademarks … and retained U.S. trademark registrations.” That’s why HC-110 became “High Concentrate Developer” and Dektol became **“Paper Developer.” “XTOL → XDEV” fits the same pattern. (Photo Systems Inc.)
- Evidence that XDEV is the same formula: the new XDEV product page keeps the same catalog number (CAT 105 8338) used for XTOL, and the linked Safety Data Sheets (issued by PSI) still identify the product as “KODAK XTOL PROFESSIONAL Developer Powder – A/B.” This indicates a branding change, not a reformulation. (Photo Systems Inc., Shopify)
So, Kodak (via PSI) renamed
XTOL to
XDEV to avoid a trademark conflict left over from a previous licensee — while keeping the underlying developer the same. (
Trademark Registration Online,
Photo Systems Inc.)
... and a follow up on Blue ISO:
Short, sourced answer:
- Blue ISO Limited is a Hong Kong private company (registered address: 9/F, Amtel Building, 148 Des Voeux Rd Central, Hong Kong). In U.S. trademark records they appear as the owner/applicant for several classic Kodak darkroom/paper marks. For example, the live U.S. registration for ROYAL (photographic paper) lists Blue ISO Limited as owner; the file shows multiple assignments over time, with Kodak Alaris appearing in the chain. (USPTO Report)
- In 2024 Blue ISO opposed Eastman Kodak’s attempt to (re)register XTOL at the USPTO’s Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. Kodak failed to answer; the Board entered default judgment for Blue ISO and refused Kodak’s XTOL application. (Opposition No. 91293152). (TTABVUE)
- After that, Blue ISO itself filed a new U.S. application for XTOL (Jan 15, 2025) covering photographic developers. (USPTO Report)
- Blue ISO (or entities using that name) also shows up in U.S. records as the current owner of other long-standing Kodak chemistry marks such as DEKTOL, HC-110, FLEXICOLOR, and DURAFLO, and has filed for PHOTO-FLO as well. (These aggregator pages reflect USPTO data; they’re useful for quick ownership snapshots.) (Trademarkia, Trademark Registration)
How that relates to Kodak’s portfolio
They’re
not Eastman Kodak or Kodak Alaris. Rather, they are a
separate IP holder/applicant for several legacy Kodak product names in the U.S. That IP position let Blue ISO
block Kodak’s 2023–24 XTOL application, which is a key reason Kodak’s current chemistry licensee moved the product name from
XTOL → XDEV in the U.S. — i.e., a branding/legal issue rather than a formula change. (The TTAB decision above is the concrete piece; the rebrand is the downstream commercial effect.) (
TTABVUE)