Samsung to sue to ban iPhone 5 sales: Report

SEOUL: South Korea's Samsung Electronics will file lawsuits to try to block the sale of Apple's iPhone 5 as part of its global legal tussle with the US technology giant, a report said Tuesday.

The two firms are at loggerheads in a series of patent lawsuits over the technology and design of their smartphones and tablet computers.

Maeil Business Newspaper cited a Samsung official as saying the firm would "strategically" launch the legal actions as Apple was expected to start selling the much-anticipated smartphone next month.

"We have not yet decided whether to launch the suits in South Korea or in a third country," the unidentified official was quoted as saying.

It was unclear whether Samsung would seek a sales ban only in South Korea or internationally. A Samsung Electronics spokesman declined to comment.

Apple has accused Samsung of "slavishly" copying the technology and designs of its market-leading iPhone and iPad.

It has filed complaints in countries including Germany and Australia, seeking a ban on sales of Samsung's Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab.

Samsung, the world's biggest memory chip maker and the number two mobile phone maker after Nokia, has launched counter-suits claiming its US rival infringed its wireless technology patents.

The Suwon-based company earlier this month was forced to withdraw its new tablet PC from a major electronics fair in Berlin after a German court approved a request from Apple to ban sales and marketing.

Samsung however vowed to appeal, saying it would actively take "all available measures, including legal options" to defend its presence in the European market.

The company said last week it had filed complaints in France against Apple alleging infringement of three mobile phone technology patents in the US firm's iPhone and iPad.

The complaint was filed before a Paris district court in July and the first hearing is expected in December.

Despite their legal battles, Apple is one of the biggest customers for Samsung's chips and display screens.

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2011