Apple, which has already managed to ban the sale of Samsung"s Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet in Australia and Germany, could find itself dealing with a similar situation. The Korea Times web site says that Samsung is looking to ban the sale of Apple"s upcoming iPhone 5 smartphone, claiming that the device is violating Samsung"s patents in wireless technology. The article quotes an unnamed Samsung executive as saying, "For as long as Apple does not drop mobile telecommunications functions, it would be impossible for it to sell its i-branded products without using our patents. We will stick to a strong stance against Apple during the lingering legal fights."
The article quotes another unnamed Samsung exec as saying, "We are taking different tactics since we are quite confident. If Samsung wins in Germany that will give us a big breakthrough and so will other envisioned efforts against such products as the iPhone 5." Samsung has already filed a lawsuit against Apple in Australia, claiming that the company violated seven Australian patents that are owned by Samsung. The patents all deal with wireless communications standards.
Apple and Samsung have been fighting for months and in several countries, including the United States, about their various patent disputes. Apple has claimed that Samsung"s products, including many of its smartphones and its Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablets, have copied both the designs and the user interface of Apple"s iPhone and iPad products. Ironically, Samsung is actually one of Apple"s biggest suppliers of parts for the iPhone device.