Korean electronics giant Samsung announced that it will file separate preliminary injunctions against Apple in Paris, France and Milano, Italy with the aim of blocking sales of the freshly launched iPhone 4S in those countries.
The injunction requests, which are the latest salvo in a pitched legal battle between the two tech giants, “each cite two patent infringements related to wireless telecommunications technology, specifically Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) standards for 3G mobile handsets,” according to statement released by Samsung.
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WCDMA is a mobile communications system which enables the continued support of voice, text, data and multimedia services.
According to Samsung, “the infringed technology is essential to the reliable functioning of telecom networks and devices and Samsung believes that Apple’s violation as being too severe and that the iPhone 4S should be barred from sales”.
When questioned about the injunctions, a spokeswoman for Samsung said the company would be adopting an “aggressive stance” toward Apple.
The injunctions come fresh on the heels of news that Apple had turned down a peace offering from Samsung in Australia.
The legal battles between the two tech giants began in April in the United States when Apple accused Samsung of “slavishly” copying its market-leading iPhone and iPad.
Apple recently won a crucial battle in when a German court ruled that the Galaxy Tab had copied aspects of the iPad and banned sales of the device in that country.
The global legal battles between the two tech giants have followed a suit, counter-suit pattern and centre around patent claims for their smartphones and tablets.
The statement released by Samsung is undoubtedly the most aggressive to date.
“Apple has continued to flagrantly violate our intellectual property rights and free ride on our technology. We believe it is now necessary to take legal action to protect our innovation”.
The iPhone 4S was released last night and will be available in the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan and Britain on 14 October and in another 22 countries including Italy from 28 October.
Samsung had been cautious in countering Apple’s push because the US firm is a major customer for its chips and display screens, but the South Korean firm will become more aggressive from now on, the spokesman said on condition of anonymity.
The spokesman said earlier that Samsung was “virtually going into an all-out war” with Apple, but he later revised his comment and said: “We are virtually going into an aggressive stance.”
Samsung says it plans to file preliminary injunctions in other countries “after further review”.
