Samsung Electronics is heading towards a collision course with Apple Inc. when it plans to file a patent case involving the latter’s new iPhone 4S in Italy and France.
The case involves a patent-infringement claim where Samsung accused Apple of not paying the requisite license fees for certain patent before offering the iPhone to the market. Apple contended that Samsung failed to demand payment of the fees until 2010 and therefore precluded from filing the case. The South Korean smartphone and tablet manufacturer also plans to file similar cases in other countries after a thorough review.
Both companies have been involved in several litigations in the past with 20 known cases in 10 countries and the latest bickering is attributed to Apple’s “free-riding” on Samsung’s patents. The latest legal maneuver came just a few hours after iPhone 4S was officially released to the market on October 4 which sent Apple shares plummet by 5 percent before recovering to .6 percent at the close of trading day.
The infringement case relates to Samsung’s wireless technology. Although Apple is a major customer of Samsung in terms of displays and chips, the “free” use of its patent on the wireless component has contributed to the decline of Samsung sales particularly in Europe and Australia.
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Tags: Apple, iphone 4s, iphone 4s ban france, iphone 4s ban in italy, Samsung, samsung to file patent case vs apple, samsung vs apple
