Samsung is considering whether seek an injunction against Apple that would stop the sale of the new iPhone 5 in Europe, according to multiple reports. The South Korean company believes that Apple's latest smartphone uses cellular technology that Samsung has patented.
According to the Financial Times, a person close to Samsung said that lawyers were working on the injunction but the company was undecided in which country to file the action. The report said Samsung might try to ban the iPhone 5 in Europe or South Korea. Reuters also reported that Samsung may seek an ban on sales of the iPhone 5, and the Maeil Business Newspaper reported that Samsung may seek an injunction request on the device in Europe.
This is a fresh twist to the long-running battle between Apple and Samsung over patent infringements. Apple has gained the upper hand by having sales of the Samsung Galaxy 10.1 remain blocked in Germany. The two firms have around 20 legal disputes between them over patents across nine countries, including the US, South Korea and the UK.
While Samsung has declined to comment on the likelihood of forthcoming action, it has confirmed it is shifting away from a defensive strategy. "We stand a good chance of winning the cases if we use our patents related to wireless communications standards," Samsung said in a statement to the Financial Times. "The wireless technologies such as the W-CDMA and HSPA standards are essential for mobile devices. So they can be a big weapon for us."
Details of the new iPhone 5 remain shrouded in secrecy, and its launch is not expected until this month. Reports have indicated for months that the new iPhone will have a faster--and perhaps dual-core--processor, and will have its 5-megapixel camera bumped up to an 8-megapixel camera. However, Apple watchers also expect that the iPhone 5. could be released alongside a smaller or cheaper "iPhone 4S."
For more:
- see this Financial Times article (reg. req.)
- see this Reuters article
- see this Daily Telegraph article
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