It has been reported that Samsung has planned to ban the sale of the Apple iPhone 5 in South Korea, even before the device has been released. According to a report by Korea Times, which cited several sources which are knowledgeableabout the matter, Samsung will sue Apple for violating some of its wireless communications patents the moment the California based Apple launches the sequel to the iPhone 4 into the market.
According to the newspaper, through the lawsuit, Samsung will file a case to get the court to ban the sales of all iPhone 5 smartphones in the country. A source from Samsung told the media that as long as Apple does not all-together exclude its mobile communications functions, it will be impossible for the company to sell its products without infringing its patents. The source said that the company will maintain its radical stance against Apple in the lingering legal battles.
The report in the Korean Times is just the most recent development in the ongoing patent warfare between Samsung and Apple. In the space of the last few months, both the companies have revved up their bitter battle over patents, spreading it throughout the world. Currently, the two companies have ongoing patent lawsuits in Australia, US, parts of Asia and Europe. And as of yet, Apple has an upper hand over Samsung.
The manufacturer of iPhones and iPads managed to convince the court to get Samsung to show it three models of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 before the company decided which one would be approved for sale in the country. Some time ago this month, sales of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 were successfully stopped by Apple in Germany, after a ruling from a German court which temporarily banned sales of the Samsung flagship tablet throughout Europe.
However, the dispute doesn’t only cover tablets, as it has been claimed by both the companies that the smartphones manufactured by the other violate their patents. Apple, especially, has been very critical of Samsung for the last few months, as the California based company filed a lawsuit against it in South Korea alleging that its products were copied. The company said in its complaint that the products manufactured by Samsung blatantly copy its own products in appearance in order to capitalize on the success of the iPhone and the iPad.
