April 19, 2011 – Apple has filed a lawsuit against Samsung claiming that the South Korean electronic giant’s mobile phones and tablet computer, the Galaxy Tab, copy the iPhone and the iPad.
The website of the US District Court for the Northern District of California shows that Apple filed the case against Samsung in San Francisco on Friday but the complaint itself has not yet been entered in the electronic data base.
The Wall Street Journal obtained a copy of the 38-page document that said Apple is accusing Samsung of copying the look, product design, packaging and the user interface of its products.
Apple is claiming Samsung has violated various Apple patents and trademarks.
“Rather than innovate and develop its own technology and a unique Samsung style for its smartphone products and computer tablets, Samsung chose to copy Apple’s technology, user interface and innovative style in these infringing products,” the Journal quoted Apple’s complaint as saying.
Samsung’s tablet computer, the Galaxy Tab, has been the best-selling rival to Apple’s iPad, which has dominated the growing market for the touchscreen devices.
Patent lawsuits are a regular occurrence among technology giants in the United States and Apple is currently embroiled in disputes with Finland’s Nokia, Taiwan’s HTC and US handset maker Motorola among others.
Samsung Electronics meanwhile said on Tuesday that it would take counter-action against Apple.
“Samsung will respond actively to this legal action taken against us through appropriate legal measures to protect our intellectual property,” the South Korean firm said in a statement.
Samsung has been successfully developing its own core technologies and building up its intellectual property portfolio, it said.
Yonhap news agency quoted Samsung officials as saying they suspect Apple had violated Samsung’s wireless technology patents.
“Apple is one of our key buyers of semiconductors and display panels. However, we have no choice but respond strongly this time,” an unidentified official was quoted as saying.
Apple was Samsung’s second-largest client in 2010 after Japan’s Sony Corp, accounting for four percent of the South Korean firm’s $142 billion annual revenues.