Court Victory Short-Lived: German Court Reinstates Injunction Against Kodak Printing Plates.

After appearing to score a major legal victory just weeks ago, Kodak has suffered a dramatic reversal in its European patent battle with Fujifilm. The Unified Patent Court (UPC) Court of Appeal has now ruled that Kodak’s Sonora-type offset printing plates infringe Fujifilm’s EP 3 476 616 patent, reinstating an injunction that prohibits sales of the products in Germany, although no injunction was granted for the UK. The latest decision follows an earlier June ruling in which the same appeals court lifted separate German and UK injunctions involving a different Fujifilm patent (EP 3 511 174), allowing Kodak to continue sales at that time. Tonernews.com has reported on this high-profile legal battle twice before—first when Kodak successfully overturned the original injunctions, and again when Fujifilm challenged related U.S. trade proceedings—making this newest ruling another major twist in one of the printing industry’s most closely watched patent disputes.