Seoul: South Korea`s Samsung Electronics
said today it had asked the US International Trade Commission
to ban the import of Apple products into the United States,
expanding its patent war with the US giant.
The ITC has been urged to stop Apple shipping its
popular iPods, iPhones and iPads into the US market from where
they are manufactured, a Samsung spokesman said.
It accuses Apple of breaching five patents related to
wireless communications standards and mobile device user
interface.
"The complaint requests relief in the form of a
permanent exclusion order prohibiting entry to the United
States of all Apple products in violation of these patents,"
Samsung said in a statement.
"Samsung will continue to actively defend our
intellectual property in order to serve our customers and to
ensure our continued innovation and leadership in the mobile
communication business."
The latest action escalated legal wrangling between
the world`s two fastest growing smartphone makers.
The tussle began when Apple filed suit against Samsung
in April in San Francisco, accusing the Korean firm of copying
its smartphones and tablet computers.
Samsung responded later that month with a lawsuit in
Seoul alleging five patent infringements by Apple.
It filed separate actions in Tokyo, citing two patent
infringements, and in the German city of Mannheim citing
three.
Last week Apple lodged a second lawsuit against
Samsung with a district court in Seoul, asking for a sales ban
on Samsung`s latest products.
It accused them of copying the iPhone and iPad.
Samsung`s Galaxy Tab has been a huge-selling rival to
the iPad, which has dominated the growing market for the
touchscreen devices.
Despite their prickly competition in finished
products, the two firms have a close business relationship.
Apple was Samsung`s second-largest client in 2010
after Japan`s Sony, accounting for four percent of the South
Korean firm`s 155 trillion won ($142 billion) annual revenue.
AFP
