Kodak no longer has the right to market its Sonora Xtra-3 plates in Germany. This was decided on April 2, 2025 by the Mannheim local division of the Unified Patent Court (UPC), a new European jurisdiction brought by Fujifilm Corporation in a patent infringement case. The dispute concerns the technology for manufacturing offset plates without chemical treatment described in European patent EP 3 511 174 B1, granted to Fujifilm in May 2021.
The plate in question, the Sonora Xtra-3, uses an anodized aluminum support with controlled porosity, combined with a heat-sensitive layer that is removed by the action of inking and wetting. The court found that this structure infringed the patent's claims, particularly as regards the configuration of the microporous support and its interaction with the active components.
Kodak Sonora Xtra-3 plates recalled in Germany
The UPC ban applies to Germany. This is the only territory, among the UPC member states, where the patent was still in force on June 1, 2023, the date on which the jurisdiction takes effect.
In this country, Kodak is required to immediately cease all sales, recall plates already on the market, remove them from commercial channels, destroy them and provide detailed information on sales.
In the event of non-compliance, a penalty of 50 euros per square meter will be imposed on volumes sold in breach of the court injunction. Kodak will also have to pay 300,000 euros in legal costs to Fujifilm. The ban takes effect as soon as the judgment has been notified and translated into the official language of each of the states concerned.
No impact for users in France
France is not covered by this injunction. Patent EP 3 511 174 B1 was no longer in force on French territory as of July 26, 2021, i.e. almost two years before the UPC was implemented.
The court clearly stated that it had no jurisdiction to rule on acts of infringement in a country where protection had expired. Marketing of the Sonora Xtra-3 plate therefore remains legal in France to this day, and French printers are not affected by the withdrawal.
Proceedings also underway in the United States
Fujifilm has also filed a parallel lawsuit in the United States, targeting Sonora X and Sonora Xtra plates . The Japanese group is seeking damages and a marketing ban on the North American market. The conflict between the two manufacturers is now spreading to both sides of the Atlantic.
