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Topic: Legal

Samsung files new lawsuit against Apple in Korea

Summary: Samsung has filed a new patent infringement lawsuit against Apple, despite previously saying they wouldn't take legal action against them in Korea.

Hana Stewart-Smith

By Hana Stewart-Smith for Unboxing Asia |

Samsung has filed another lawsuit against Apple in South Korea. The new lawsuit claims that Apple is infringing three of its patents with the iPhone 4S and iPad 2.

Samsung had previously indicated it would not be taking legal action against Apple in Korea. When Apple was launching the iPhone 4S last November, Samsung held back from filing against them to avoid negative publicity.

"We concluded that we should engage in legal battles with Apple only in the global market, but not in order to gain more market share in Korea," a Samsung executive explained.

However, this latest legal action is a complete reversal on that decision, just in time for the reveal of Apple's third generation iPad.

Although the company has previously debated about filing a lawsuit over the iPhone 4S, they have now added the iPad 2 as another alleged infringement on its patents.

The new lawsuit, filed in a Seoul court, is in regards to three utility patents. These utility patents pertain to methods of displaying data, user interface and short text messages.

Samsung and Apple have been consistent rivals in the mobile device market. They have been involved in over 30 legal battles across 10 countries so far. The two companies are still embroiled in disputes in the U.S., Australia, Italy, Germany, and France.

In a statement to TechCrunch, Samsung clarified that the patents disputed in this current legal action are entirely separate from the previous case filed in April 2011.

"This lawsuit is separate from the proceedings filed against Apple in Seoul in April 2011 regarding infringement of telecommunications standards-related patents."

The statement went on to say, "Samsung will continue to assert its intellectual property rights and defend its investment in innovation in order to ensure our continued growth in the mobile industry."

As of yet, Apple has not commented on this latest development.

Related:

Topics: Legal, Apple, Samsung

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10 comments
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  • apple must drop the lawsuits against android

    in order to survive, and then focus on extracting license fees from M$.
    The Linux Geek
    Reply Vote

    • Your comment...

      makes less than 0 sense. Well done. Now back to the basement with you.
      kstap
      Reply Vote

      • yeah sure...

        tell that to $CO who tested the might of FOSS and went belly up!
        The Linux Geek
        Reply Vote

    • Apple doesn't need to drop

      the anti-Android lawsuits in order to survive. And why would Apple extract fees from Microsoft - WP7 does not infringe upon any of Apple's IP and Apple lost the case a long time ago over any IP involved with Windows and Apple's older Mac OS (pre OS X).

      Apple should collect licensing fees from those infringing upon Apple patents and Apple should be paying licensing fees on patents they are infringing upon - all being subject to FRAND of course.
      athynz
      Reply Vote

  • Apple can only fight in the courtroom

    If a company is as good as they say they are then the fights should be in the market. Apple has a stranglehold on the tablet market; yet not in smartphone market. I wonder why. This company believes it is full of visionaries; but if this were true then they would destroy the competition with their innovation and if they did this, I would humbly back down.

    Apple wanted to reign down terror on every Android manufacturer and they have gotten tired and chose to fight back.
    dexjjohn
    Reply Vote

    • So in other words

      You are saying that no one should be granted a patent for anything, and that they should just allow the market to determine who makes something better, the original inventor or the person who steals the idea.
      Great idea.
      As to the rest of your B.S., in fact, the situation in smartphone market is telling. In tablets, Apple came in with no carrier lock in, and took over the market. In contrast, as a small, no-name player at the time, Apple was forced to enter into exclusivity agreements with various carriers around the world (e.g. AT&T) which forced other carriers to seek out and push alternatives. This exclusivity is the ONLY thing that allowed Android to gain a foothold, among carriers that could NOT get the iPhone.
      Please, pray tell, name a SINGLE carrier, anywhere in the WORLD, that has carried both the iPhone and Android devices, where the iPhone does not outsell ALL Android devices, COMBINED. The only caveat are those carriers that have only carried the iPhone as of late. And of those, the iPhone has just about caught up, And yes, this includes Verizon, where iPhone sales are set to eclipse all combined Android sales shortly.
      .DeusExMachina.
      Reply Vote

  • Go Sammy!

    I'm glad sammy is finally going after apple. I hope their igadgets get banned in Korea. That would be karma.
    business owner
    Reply Vote

    • Not going to happen

      Nepotistic as the Korean market is, it ain't gonna happen. And this is speaking from the point of view of a Korean who understands the culture.
      .DeusExMachina.
      Reply Vote

  • Apple unfortunately picked the wrong entity to bully

    Now Samsung is going to teach Apple a lesson in humility, give them a dose of reality, and put Apple back to where it belongs.

    www . huffingtonpost . com/2012/03/07/samsung-apple-south-korea_n_1325866.html

    Then Motorola will do the same to Apple.

    Then Google will do the same to Apple.

    Then all other 84 members of the Open Handset Alliance will do the same to Apple.

    Then Microsoft is going to make Apple miss a few quarters, thanks to Window 8...

    Conclusion -- The only prescient question is: When is that bubble popping?

    Remember, the stock markets do not care about history. Only futures... Timing is everything!

    [i]~~~~~~~~~~
    The hardest tumble a man can make is to fall over his own bluff.
    ~ Ambrose Bierce, 1842-1914, American Author/Editor/Journalist

    The investor of today does not profit from yesterday's growth.
    ~ Warren Buffett

    A public-opinion poll is no substitute for thought.
    ~ Warren Buffett

    Our favorite holding period is forever.
    ~ Warren Buffett

    Look at market fluctuations as your friend rather than your enemy; profit from folly rather than participate in it.
    ~ Warren Buffett

    The man who strikes first admits that his ideas have given out.
    {Chinese Proverb}
    [/i]
    WinTard
    Reply Vote

    • Wanna bet?

      No, seriously, do you? I'll be willing to put up a significant amount of money for you to put you money where your mouth is. You have been spouting this crap for ages, relying on the fact that internet memories are short, and no one will call you to task for your retarded comments.
      So seriously, put up or shut up.
      .DeusExMachina.
      Reply Vote
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