Apple-Samsung patent battle intensifies

Apple adds Galaxy S3, Galaxy Note to infringement list, Samsung seeks counteraction


The patent battle between Samsung Electronics and Apple Inc. is intensifying as the U.S.-based tech giant took legal action against the Korean firm’s latest flagship smartphones.

Apple added Samsung’s Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note to the list of the products that it claimed infringed its patents when it submitted a revised filing at a U.S. federal court last Friday.

Galaxy 3 is the latest in Samsung’s smartphone series, and has been on sale since May. Galaxy Note is a tablet smartphone equipped with a stylus that enables users to doodle and write on the screen.

Samsung, which denied Apple’s infringement claims, accused Apple of seeking to limit consumers’ choice.

“It is regrettable that Apple is trying to block innovation by choosing lawsuits over market competition,” a Samsung official was quoted as saying.

“We will take legal (counter)action so that there can be no problem with consumers choosing Samsung’s innovative products.”

Apple defended its action, accusing Samsung of copying its products.

“The lawsuits between Apple and Samsung were about much more than patents or money. They were about values,” said Park Jeong-hoon, a spokesman for the U.S. company’s Korean unit, according to Yonhap News.

“At Apple, we value originality and innovation and pour our lives into making best products on earth. We make these products to delight our customers, not for our competitors to flagrantly copy,” he was quoted as saying.

After winning a crucial victory over Samsung in a U.S. court on Aug. 24 that included $1.05 billion in damages, Apple filed for an injunction to ban the sales of eight Samsung products last week.

With its latest court filing, Apple is seeking a sales ban on a total of 21 Samsung smartphones, media players and tablet PCs.

The U.S. court said that based on the Aug. 24 verdict, Apple’s request for a permanent ban on U.S. sales of eight Samsung mobile devices will be considered at a Dec. 6 hearing.

Apple’s latest move comes on the heels of its defeat in Japan in a separate patent suit against Samsung.

On Friday, a Japanese court found Apple’s claim invalid, giving an upper hand to the Korean company.

The Tokyo District Court said Samsung did not violate Apple’s patent to have mobile devices and personal computers “synchronize” or share data with each other. Other cases in Japan are still pending.

Industry experts said the ongoing patents battle between the world’s top two mobile phone makers will take a long time, with the first ruling unlikely to be expected before late next year.

By Cho Ji-hyun and news reports 
(sharon@heraldcorp.com)