Apple to sue bankrupt Kodak

digital cameras and digital picture frames, Bloomberg reports.

Apple said in a filing in the US Bankruptcy Court, in New York, that it intends to file a complaint against Kodak at the International Trade Commission (ITC) and a corresponding suit in the US District Court, in Manhattan, based on patent-infringement claims. The suit will seek an order blocking Kodak's infringement, according to the filing.

The kicker for Kodak? Printers and picture frames are exactly what the company has announced it will focus on following its restructuring, TNW writes.

Kodak will have the right to ask the court to halt the district court case until the ITC makes its ruling, though a court order on that request “is not required before Apple commences” its lawsuits, Apple said in the filing, Bloomberg Businessweek notes.

Apple previously claimed it is the true owner of the image-preview patent that is the subject of infringement claims lodged against Apple and Research In Motion. The company contends that it developed a digital camera in the early 1990s that it shared with Kodak, and that Kodak then sought the patent on the technology. Kodak has denied the allegations.