Samsung wants ban on sale, import of Apple products in US
Days after Apple reached an agreement with Nokia on their patent tussle, things seem to be reaching a head with the iPhone makers’ legal dispute with Samsung. The Korea-based company has lodged a complaint with the US International Trade Commission (ITC) demanding ban on the sale of Apple’s key products in the US. It’s notable that the two companies have sued each other for lifting designs and technology. Samsung says in its lawsuit that the import and sale of the iPhone, iPad and other products should be banned in the US as they violate patent norms.
“Samsung will vigorously defend our intellectual property to protect our role as a leader and innovator in the mobile communication business in order to better serve our customers,” Samsung says in a statement. “The complaint requests relief in the form of a permanent exclusion order prohibiting entry to the US of all Apple products in violation of these patents,” it adds.
The latest move has intensified the legal tussle between the two prominent smartphone companies. It all started when Apple sued Samsung in April in San Francisco for lifting technology used in its smartphones and tablets. Samsung retorted with a counter lawsuit in Seoul accusing the iPhone makers of breaching patent norms.
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Later, the two companies filed complaints in Tokyo alleging two patent breaches and in German city of Mannheim citing three. Just a week ago Apple filed another lawsuit against Samsung with a Seoul court, seeking ban on the sale of Samsusng products. The California-based company accused of Samsung of copying the iPhone and iPad.
Even though the two companies are involved in litigation, they are still dependent on each other. According to BBC, Samsung provides microchips for Apple’s products and their business volume was nearly USD 5.7 billion last year.
The legal disputes, especially over patent issues, are escalating as the mobile phone companies have continued to accuse each other of copying design and technology. The recent agreement between Apple and Nokia on patent issues was expected to quiet the controversies surrounding around the mobile phone companies. But the battle between Samsung and Nokia seems to have revived all the debates and discussions on patent issues.
What’s your take on the ongoing legal battles? Where are all these things heading towards? Does it really affect the end-user? Please let us know your thoughts in the comments section below:
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Apple sues Samsung for ripping off iPad and iPhone; Samsung counters