Kodak hasn't had it easy, filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last year, suffering setbacks in ongoing patent cases, where the firm has attempted to assert its digital camera patents, primarily on the cameras that are featured in smartphones today.
The firm, which is now looking to exit the digital camera business, has been granted the right to sell 1,100 of its patents, which it is valuing at £1.66 billion, though, analysts believe the actual value to be somewhat lower, given that these patents don't cover any truly core technology.
As in previous buyouts, there is a dividing fence between this list of potential buyers, with Apple, Microsoft and patent troll, Intellectual Ventures on one side and, with Google, Samsung, HTC, LG and RPX on the other. Previously, Apple and Microsoft won patents from Nortel Networks, shelling up an excessive £2.86 billion as competition bubbled-up.
Whether bidding will become so heated this time around remains to be seen, however, with Apple recently suing Kodak and refusing to pay royalties on existing patents, it'll be interesting to see if any under-the-table deals emerge as a result, bidding begins on the 8th.
