Samsung targets iPhone 4S in France, Italy
The mobile phone maker is filing preliminary injunctions in France and Italy to block the sale of Apple's new iPhone 4S.
Samsung is already moving to block the sale of the new iPhone 4S in Europe barely a day after Apple announced its new flagship phone.
In a blog post today, Samsung said that it is filing requests for preliminary injunctions both in Paris and in Milan, Italy, asking the courts to ban the sale of the new iPhone.
In filing the motions, Samsung plans to accuse Apple of two patent infringements related to wireless technology, specifically the Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) standard used on 3G phones. The mobile handset maker said it believes that Apple's violation of its patents is "too severe" and that sales of the new iPhone should be blocked as a result.
"Apple has continued to flagrantly violate our intellectual property rights and free ride on our technology," Samsung asserted in its blog. "We believe it is now necessary to take legal action to protect our innovation."
Samsung added that it plans to file injunctions against the new iPhone in other countries after reviewing the matter further.
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The two companies have been duking it out in court throughout this year, leveling a barrage of patent infringement claims against each other throughout the world.
Apple fired the first shot by suing Samsung in April, claiming that its Galaxy smartphones and tablets had stolen their design from the iPhone and iPad, respectively.
Samsung quickly fired back with a countersuit in Japan and Germany, alleging that Apple's iDevices were violating key Samsung patents related to mobile and wireless technologies. Apple then countersued Samsung's countersuit in August, this time specifically trying to block sales of the Galaxy S and S II smartphones and the Galaxy Tab tablet in Japan.
The battleground has also extended beyond Europe to the United States, Australia, and other regions. The skirmish in Australia heated up recently as Samsung tried to work out a deal with Apple that would allow for the sale of Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet. But Apple nixed the settlement offer earlier this week, stating that its goal is still to prevent the launch of Samsung's tablet in Australia.
Apple's legal team has also been busy contending with Motorola over a series of patent infringement claims related to multitouch and other mobile device technologies.