Samsung takes iPhone 5 to court, says it has little choice

Samsung has taken Apple's iPhone 5 to court, claiming that the 4-inch smart phone steps all over the Galaxy S3-maker's patents.

The latest development in an increasingly eye-roll-inducing back-and-forth battle, Samsung has added Apple's new smart phone to a list of products accused of infringing eight Samsung patents, Foss Patents reports.

Samsung's move was expected -- the shipbuilding-smart phone company threatened to drag the iPhone 5 into the legal fracas back in September.

"We have always preferred to compete in the marketplace with our innovative products, rather than in a courtroom," Samsung said in a statement sent to CNET UK. "However, Apple continues to take aggressive legal action that will restrict market competition," it went on to explain.

"Under those circumstances", Samsung says, "we have little recourse but to take the steps necessary to protect our innovations and intellectual property rights."

Samsung certainly paints itself as the victim of an all-out Apple assault with that statement. The South Korean firm was recently ordered to pay Apple a billion dollars, as a US court determined that Samsung was guilty of copying the iPhone and iPad.

That's pocket-change to companies this massive, but the verdict hasn't seen any end to the ongoing legal fighting that's taking place all over the world. Samsung will doubtless be hoping that it can get the iPhone 5 banned from sale.

Apple's new, taller mobile has been well-received but has its own share of problems, not least of which is a seriously dodgy new Maps app. Tim Cook has issued a personal apology for the company's cartographical calamity.

Personally I'm finding the legal actions of both companies a shade tiresome -- but perhaps you think there's merit to these courtroom conflicts? Tell me how you feel about Samsung taking the iPhone 5 to court in the comments, or on our Facebook wall.