Kodak Wins Appeal, Overturns Fujifilm Printing Plate Patent Injunctions in Germany and the UK.

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Eastman Kodak has secured a major victory in its long-running patent dispute with Fujifilm after the Unified Patent Court (UPC) Court of Appeal overturned injunctions that had previously barred sales of Kodak’s printing plate products in both Germany and the United Kingdom. The appellate court ruled that Kodak does not infringe Fujifilm’s EP 3 511 174 patent, allowing the company to continue manufacturing and selling its planographic and lithographic printing plates without restriction. The Court of Appeal found that Kodak could rely on prior-use rights in Germany and determined that Fujifilm failed to prove infringement in the UK, while also rejecting claims of joint tortfeasorship among the Kodak entities involved. Although the court reaffirmed the UPC’s ability to exercise “long-arm jurisdiction” over certain non-UPC countries such as the UK, it ultimately set aside the earlier Mannheim Local Division rulings that had favored Fujifilm. The decision marks a significant turnaround for Kodak, reversing injunctions in two major markets and underscoring the limits of patent enforcement even where jurisdiction is successfully established.

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June 4, 2026 at 10:31 AM