A Triumph of Genius

The story of Edwin Land with emphasis on the court battle between Polaroid and Kodak. An amazing book, written by Ron Fierstein, a lawyer on the team of litigators representing Polaroid in its epic patent battle with Eastman Kodak over instant photography technology.

Edwin Land was amongst the most creative scientists and inventors of the twentieth century with 535 U. S. patents to his credit only surpassed by Thomas Edison and Elihu Thomson. Land's invention of instant photography was revolutionary. The Polaroid SX-70 camera system introduced in 1972 was perhaps the most advanced consumer product on the market—incorporating over 150 separately patented features and Kodak was charged with violating 3 of these patents, plus 7 other Polaroid patents not used by the SX-70.

The legal battle was settled with Kodak having to remove itself from the instant photography business and pay nearly a billion dollars in damages to Polaroid for having infringed on its instant camera patents.

This book presents a compelling account of Land's genius, Polaroid's achievements and the state of patent law in the US