Samsung retaliates against Apple’s suit

South Korea’s Samsung Electronics expanded its patent war with the US giant Apple Computer on Thursday, asking the US International Trade Commission (ITC) to ban the import of Apple products into the United States.

Samsung accuses Apple of breaching five patents related to wireless communications standards and mobile device user interface.

“The complaint requests relief in the form of a permanent exclusion order prohibiting entry to the United States of all Apple products in violation of these patents,” Samsung said in a statement.

“Samsung will continue to actively defend our intellectual property in order to serve our customers and to ensure our continued innovation and leadership in the mobile communication business.”

The latest action escalated legal wrangling between the world’s two fastest growing smartphone makers.

The tussle first began when Apple filed a suit against Samsung in April in San Francisco, accusing the Korean firm of copying its smartphones and tablet computers.

Apple was Samsung’s second-largest client in 2010 after Japan’s Sony

Samsung responded later that month with a lawsuit in Seoul alleging five patent infringements by Apple. It filed separate actions in Tokyo, citing two patent infringements, and in the German city of Mannheim citing three.

Last week Apple lodged a second lawsuit against Samsung with a district court in Seoul, asking for a sales ban on Samsung’s latest products. It accused them of copying the iPhone and iPad.

Samsung’s Galaxy Tab has been a huge-selling rival to the iPad, which has dominated the growing market for the touchscreen devices.

Despite their prickly competition in finished products, the two firms have a close business relationship.

Apple was Samsung’s second-largest client in 2010 after Japan’s Sony, accounting for four percent of the South Korean firm’s 155 trillion won (US$142-billion) annual revenue.

This is one in a number of suits that Apple has faced this year. Earlier this month a tussle between Apple and Nokia, was settled in the Nokia’s favour with Apple being required to pay the Finnish mobile giant a one-time settlement fee and ongoing royalties. –AFP