Samsung Electronics Co. said it is seeking to stop the sale of Apple Inc.'s new iPhone 4S in Japan and Australia, further ramping up a legal clash with the U.S. company after a series of setbacks in courts around the world in recent days.
The Korean company said it filed on Monday for preliminary injunctions in the Tokyo District Court and in the New South Wales Registry, Australia, to stop the sale of iPhone 4S smartphones in both countries. Samsung also asked the Japanese court to stop the sale of Apple's iPhone 4 and iPad 2 devices.
The fresh legal action underscores how critical the smartphone business has become to Samsung, and how much of a threat Samsung could be to Apple. Later this month Samsung is expected to confirm that in the third quarter its mobile business accounted for more than 50% of operating profit for the first time ever as it overtook Apple in smartphone sales.
Samsung is already seeking a sales ban on the iPhone 4S in France and Italy as part of a legal tussle across 10 countries. The device went on sale in many markets last week, including Japan and Australia.
The latest action comes after a court in Australia issued a temporary injunction Thursday requested by Apple blocking Samsung from selling its Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet computer there. Also, a Dutch court Friday rejected Samsung's call for a ban on Apple's products in the Netherlands. Samsung said Monday it would appeal the Australia ruling.
"We are actively responding in (the legal battle) with Apple," said James Chung, a Samsung spokesman.
The filing in Japan cites infringements in technology and user-interface patents, while in Australia Samsung cited patents related to wireless telecommunications standards. The alleged infringements are part of other patent claims made by Samsung in other countries.
Apple Korea spokesman Steve Park repeated the U.S. company's comment that Samsung has copied Apple's designs. "This kind of blatant copying is wrong, and we need to protect Apple's intellectual property when companies steal our ideas," he said.
Analysts continue to expect that the dispute will end in a cross-licensing deal between the companies, but the widening legal action continues to put the companies' relations under significant strain. Samsung is a supplier of chips and other components to Apple.
On Sunday, Samsung Chief Operating Officer and President Lee Jae-yong left Seoul to attend the memorial service for Steve Jobs in the U.S. amid speculation he may discuss the companies' relationship with Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook.
"I will have a chance to meet Cook, but I'm not going there for business purposes. I'm going to pay tribute to Steve Jobs, and I don't know what I will talk about with Cook," Mr. Lee told local media before departing from Seoul's Gimpo airport.
"Apple is one of Samsung's most important clients, and we have developed a solid partnership. But that's a separate matter from the legal disputes between the two companies in areas where they compete," Mr. Lee was quoted as saying.
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