Samsung sues Apple in Japan, Australia to stop iPhone 4S sales
Samsung Electronics has sued Apple in Japan and Australia to stop the sales of iPhone 4S, escalating a legal battle between the the world's two largest smartphone and tablet manufacturers.
The Korean electronics giant said in a statement Tuesday that it filed preliminary injunction motions in Japan's Tokyo District Court and Australia's New South Wales Registry, requesting that sales of Apple's iPhone 4 and iPad 2 devices be stopped in the two countries. Samsung claimed Apple's products infringed its patents covering wireless communications and user-interface technologies.
A report on Korea's Dong-A Ilbo said in the latest offensive against Apple in Japan, Samsung said Apple infringed on a patent related to the high-speed packet access standard and three user-interface patents. In Australia, it accused the iPhone maker of infringing on three patent infringements related to wireless telecommunications standards, specifically WCDMA and HSPA.
The Korean tech company said in its statement that Apple continues to violate its patent rights and "free ride" on its technology. "We will no longer stand idly by and will steadfastly protect our intellectual property," it said.
Earlier this month, Samsung filed motions in Paris and Milan citing two patents infringements on wireless telecommunications technology and aiming to prevent the sale of the iPhone 4S. Legal conflicts between the rivals have spread worldwide since April when Apple claimed Samsung's Galaxy devices copied its iPad and iPhone.
"The legal battle is lasting longer and more extensively than originally expeced," James Song, a Korean analyst at Daewoo Securities said in a Bloomberg report. "This kind of legal saga isn't good for both companies given their business relationship. The parties will eventually seek to resolve the issue."
In a statement released Tuesday, Apple said it had sold over 4 million units of iPhone 4S, three days after its launch on Oct. 14. It added that over 25 million users had downloaded the company's latest iOS 5 mobile operating system in the first five days of its release, and over 20 million customers had signed up for iCloud service.
iPhone 4S is currently available in the United States, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan and the United Kingdowm, and will be available in 22 more countries including Singapore, on Oct. 28 October and in over 70 countries by year-end.