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ISSUE NO. 913
Photo - imaging - video - audio - tv - print - mobile - stats - people - retail - business - news
News The Big Interview Everybody’s talking about The Photography Show! Pixel interviews Cassandra Grant, Event Manager about the show’s successes, challenges and plans for next year on page 14. We also give our own thoughts on page 3.
Nikon Wins £9m in Sigma lawsuit Courts in Tokyo have ruled in favour of Nikon in a copyright infringement case against Sigma. As part of the resolution, Sigma must pay Nikon 1.5 billion Japanese yen, which equates to roughly £8.7million. The lawsuit, which Nikon filed in 2011, involved six Sigma lenses, which Nikon alleged were making use of its patented Vibration Reduction image stabilisation technology. Nikon was originally seeking compensation of closer to £70 million, and had said that communications with Sigma had not resulted in a satisfactory conclusion. The Judge in Chief stated that this patented invention of Nikon’s should be rewarded based on the contribution of the patent to the defendant’s products, that is 15%.
24th March 2014
Calumet US Stores Close
Calumet’s US subsidiary closes retail doors under Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, but plans to return Calumet Photographic Inc., (an independent US company within the Calumet group), announced on 13th March 2014 that it has filed for Chapter 7 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. Calumet had originally planned a restructuring Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The basis of this restructuring plan was an adaptation of the successful business model of Calumet operations in Europe and the United Kingdom. However, due to a cancellation by a local financial institution the planned restructuring
could not be executed. Calumet Photographic Inc. in the United States, and the companies in the Calumet group in Europe and UK are independent companies that are financially separate and operate independently. “The filing of Chapter 7 for Calumet in the United States has no direct impact on Calumet in Europe and the United Kingdom” Christof Bergmann, General Manager of Calumet, clearly expresses and also adds: “Right now we are developing plans for a return to the US Market with retail locations and an online presence”.
A Household Name CSCs’ popularity pushes them onto inflation calculation list Interchangeable Lens Cameras have been included in the list of products used to measure inflation due to their popularity and growth in proportion to the wider market. The Office for National Statistics identified interchangeable-lens cameras as a significant area of growth, and added them to the ‘basket’. It’s worth noting that in the last decade, only compact digital cameras have been included from the photography sector.
High Value, High Demand Western European consumers spent a total of almost €2.0 billion on photography in Q4 2013 according to figures released by GfK Whilst segments under strong pressure from smartphones are
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losing out, high-value cameras are doing particularly well. In fact, top-quality camera sales increased substantially last year, depending on their target group and intended
David McCorquodale, Head of Retail at KPMG, comments “The basket of goods offers us an interesting window into the average British shopper. “Interchangeable lens digital cameras have been included in the basket for the first time, after storming ahead of the traditional compact camera. Consumers are technologically confident and are happy to switch from traditional products to new, innovative, technology if it offers them an enhanced, more convenient service.”
Cameras offering more features - for more money - holding their ground area of application. Advanced fixed-lens cameras, such as superzoom compacts and those with very large sensors were in high demand. In general, cameras became more connected and by the end of 2013, one in seven cameras sold was able to share pictures via an integrated WLAN.