Claims Apple’s products infringe its patents on wireless communications and user-interface technologies.
Samsung Electronics Co sued Apple Inc in Japan and Australia to stop sales of the iPhone 4S, escalating a legal battle between the world’s two biggest makers of smartphones and tablet computers.
Samsung also sought injunctions against the sale of the iPad 2 and the previous generation iPhone 4 in Japan, the Suwon, South Korea-based company said in a statement on Monday. Samsung claimed Apple’s products infringed its patents covering wireless communications and user-interface technologies. Legal conflicts between the rivals have spread globally since April, when Apple claimed Samsung’s Galaxy devices “slavishly” copied the iPad and iPhone. An Australian court last week blocked sales of the Galaxy Tab 10.1, while Samsung filed motions in France and Italy seeking to ban sales of Apple’s latest handset.
“The legal battle is lasting longer and is more extensive than originally expected,” James Song, a Seoul-based analyst at Daewoo Securities Co, said by phone on Monday. “This kind of a legal saga isn’t good for both companies, given their business relationship. The parties will eventually seek to resolve the issue.” Samsung rose 0.5 per cent to close at 890,000 won in Seoul trading, trimming its decline to 6.2 per cent this year. Apple’s stock has added 31 per cent this year on the Nasdaq Stock Market. “Apple has continued to violate our patent rights and free ride on our technology,” Samsung said in the statement. “We will no longer stand idly by and will steadfastly protect our intellectual property.”
Apple, which is also one of the biggest buyers of chips and displays from Samsung, had 19.1 per cent of the global smartphone market in the second quarter, with its South Korean rival closing the gap and taking 16.2 per cent, according to Framingham, Massachusetts-based researcher IDC. “It’s no coincidence that Samsung’s latest products look a lot like the iPhone and iPad, from the shape of the hardware to the user interface and even the packaging,” Steve Park, a Seoul-based spokesman for Apple, said by phone on Monday, responding to the court filing. Apple is also suing Taoyuan, Taiwan-based HTC Corp in the US, alleging patent infringement. Samsung and HTC both use Google Inc’s Android platform, which has extended its lead in smartphone operating systems over Apple’s iOS with 43 per cent of the market.