Fuji Photo Film Co. said Thursday it has filed complaints against three U.S. firms for alleged patent infringement, calling for suspension of their sales of remanufactured one-time-use cameras in the United States.
Fuji is also demanding compensation for damages it suffered in the form of lost profits for past and current sales by these companies.
A complaint was filed with the U.S. District Court in New Jersey against Jazz Photo Corp. of Carteret, N.J., and its affiliates, while another against Charles Randolph Co., doing business as The Wedding Lab of Lakebay, Wash., and Custom Camera Design Inc. of Tacoma, Wash., was filed with the U.S. District Court in the southern district of New York.
The move followed the International Trade Commission's favorable ruling June 3 that issued a general exclusion order barring importation into the U.S. of all one-time-use cameras that infringe on Fuji's patents.
Fuji decided to take additional action because the ruling did not cover cameras produced and remanufactured in the U.S., company officials said.
Although expressing appreciation of the ITC ruling, the company said it is filing additional suits to prevent sales of "any infringing one-time-use cameras, regardless of whether they were obtained from a foreign or U.S. supplier."