SEOUL, South Korea (Reuters) — Samsung Electronics filed a patent lawsuit on Friday against Apple over the iPhone and iPad in a tit-for-tat case after Apple claimed Samsung’s smartphones and tablets “slavishly” copied its products.
Apple filed a lawsuit last Friday accusing Samsung of violating patents and trademarks of its iPhone and iPad, as the popular gadgets are being threatened by the fast rise of rival devices based on Google’s free Android operating system.
The legal battle could jeopardize business ties between the two technology companies. Apple, based in Cupertino, Calif., relies heavily on Samsung for components like chips and LCD displays.
Operating systems have emerged as the crucial battlefield for dominance of the world’s smartphone market. Android became the most popular smartphone software in the United States in the three months ending in February, ahead of the software of Apple and Research In Motion, according to a recent survey by research firm comScore.
Samsung is one of the fastest-growing smartphone makers on the back of the Android boom and has emerged as Apple’s strongest competitor in the tablet market, with models in three sizes.
In a statement, Samsung said on Friday that Apple’s iPhone and iPad infringed its 10 mobile technology patents and it called for Apple to stop infringing its technology and compensate the company.
The suits, filed in South Korea, Japan and Germany, involved 10 claims of infringements mainly involving patents for power reduction during data transmission, 3G technology for reducing errors during data transmission and wireless data communication technology.
“Samsung is responding actively to the legal action taken against us in order to protect our intellectual property and to ensure our continued innovation and growth in the mobile communications business,” the statement said.
Global technology companies are locked in a web of litigation as they try to defend their shares of the booming tablet and smartphone market.
Strong sales of the iPhone and iPad translate into more revenue for Samsung. Apple was Samsung’s second-biggest client after Sony of Japan last year, bringing in around 6.2 trillion Korean won ($5.7 billion) in sales, and is widely expected to become Samsung’s top client this year.
The battle comes ahead of Samsung’s release of a new version of its successful Galaxy S smartphone next week in Korea, a crucial product for it to meet its goal of sales of 60 million smartphones this year.
Cover Flow displays album artwork for users to flick through A judge has thrown out a ruling that would have forced Apple to pay $625m (￡383m) for alleged patent infringements.