<p>"Kodachrome, it gives the nice bright colours, it gives the dreams of summer, it makes you think all the world's a sunny day." (Paul Simon, Kodachrome, 1973, from 'There Goes Rhymin Simon.)</p><p>Eighteen months ago, the only colour Eastman Kodak (better known simply as Kodak) was seeing was red. Kodak filed for Chapter 11, the notorious "rescue" procedure used for many US airlines, defendants in tort litigation and more recently motor manufacturers such as General Motors. Billy Crystal was making jokes about the "Chapter 11 theatre" as Kodak was forced to withdraw its sponsorship of the Oscar venue. Last week, however, Kodak "emerged" from bankruptcy after a court confirmed its rescue plan.</p><p>A pioneer and worldwide household name in film and printing, Kodak is often credited with bringing photography to the masses with its Instamatic camera. But the digitisation of photography, mobile phones and photo-sharing applications such as Instagram took its toll, as well as increased competition from giant competitors such as Fuji and Hewlett-Packard.</p><p>Kodak did develop a range of other products, as well as pioneering new technologies such as touch-sensor modules which will revolutionise the way mobile devices operate. But ironically, while one of its key assets was its patents, the cost of litigating their infringements was also one reason for Kodak's financial problems.</p><p><a href="http://theconversation.com/kodaks-survival-not-a-black-and-white-issue-17825">Keep reading...</a></p>