Eastman Kodak Co., which put patents up for sale at a bankruptcy auction, is consulting with creditors about retaining the patents and forming a licensing company, Bloomberg News reported on Friday. Kodak has been engaged in “extensive ongoing negotiations” for a potential sale and licensing transaction, the company said in a court filing on Friday. Kodak, based in Rochester, N.Y., put more than 1,000 patents on the auction block to finance a turnaround after filing for bankruptcy in January. The patents may be worth $2.2 billion to $2.6 billion based on an estimate by 284 Partners LLC, the company said in court papers. A newly formed licensing company would be a “source of recovery” for creditors, Kodak said in its court filing.
