More than 300 Chinese consumers have joined together to sue Kodak for a defective digital camera.

Kodak's LS443 digital camera, which was put into market in 2002, is the focus of this case. Most consumers who joined the lawsuit say they purchased this camera in 2003. However, about one year later, failures such as blank screen and overexposure often appeared under normal operations of the camera.

The consumers say Kodak's service department concluded that parts of the lens did not work and charged more than RMB1000 for repairing or upgrading the camera.

The China Consumers' Association has already carried out a preliminary hearing on the issue, but Kodak did not present before the organization.

Qiu Baochang, a lawyer in China, tells local media that companies should recall faulty products, as China's Products Quality Law requires. However, Kodak has not done so.