Eastman Kodak jumped into instant photography in 1976, and Polaroid sued; the two spent 14-and-a-half years in court, and Polaroid won $925 million, the largest patent settlement ever paid out. Or rather, it was the largest amount until last month, when Apple v. Samsung overtook it. And I’ll tell you, in both cases, the vigor of the lawsuit was in part driven by outrage on the part of the founder. Land wanted to go hard against Kodak because its system was, he felt, a less elegant ripoff of Polaroid’s.

via Wired Design | Wired.com.

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6 Comments

  1. * Note : Both companies are now shells of their former self and bankrupt. So what does that say to all those people buying up Apple stock at $700-$800 a share? A stock that has dropped 11% today and is at $655 currently. You’re never too big to fail.

  3. I’m gonna LMAOF when Samsung starts holding back chips from Apple during the next year. Screwing with your supply chain is never a bright idea.

  4. Screwing with a supplier is one thing, screwing with your largest customer is another.

  5. Don’t screw with the supply chain nor the labor, you will find you are in a position to lose everything in a very short time. Maybe tomorrow.

  6. Polaroid declined after Professor Land, though in part because changes were not made as imaging changed. The difference between Land and Jobs is that Land actually had some amazing inventions to his name, almost none of which involved software. It took many years for Polaroid to slide. If Apple follows that path, it will not be anytime soon.

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