U.S., Japan Begin Talks On Film Dispute

A long-running fight between film giants Kodak and Fuji moved to a new forum Wednesday with U.S. and Japanese officials trying to reach a solution during the first day of World Trade Organization talks.

Eastman Kodak Co. has been battling for 20 years to try to win what it considers to be a fair slice of the Japanese photo market. It claims Fuji Photo Film Co.’s grip on Japan’s major photographic distributors and other unfair trade practices have kept its market share low.

Tokyo-based Fuji, with 70 percent of Japanese film sales to Kodak’s 9 percent, says Kodak’s lackluster share of the lucrative market stems from bad marketing, not unfair trade.

Two days of consultations are planned with more meetings possible. If no agreement is reached by mid-August, the United States can ask that a three-judge panel make a final ruling.