The ongoing legal battle between Apple and Samsung over patent infringement rages on, the latest chapter seeing Apple filing a suit against Samsung in Japan that seeks not only to block sales but also for damages.
Apple has filed a suit with the Tokyo District Court seeking the suspension of sales of Galaxy S and its sequel S II smartphones and the Galaxy Tab 7 in Japan, according to sources close to the matter. The first hearing was held on Wednesday, the source said.
I’m always wary of references to “sources close to the matter,” but whatever.
Apple is seeking 100 million Yen (about $1.3M USD) in damages from Samsung for what they consider to be an infringement on the iPad’s look and feel. This is the fifth suit that Apple has filed in Japan against Samsung, and they have also filed similar suits in Germany, the UK, Australia and other countries as well. Their efforts are not entirely in vain, either: Last week, Apple managed to get Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 7.7 banned from the IFA show in Germany, and they are also not permitted to market the device in that country.
Though Apple is expected to sell 86.4M iPhones worldwide by the end of 2011, Samsung has been eating Apple’s lunch in Japan where the Galaxy S has been outselling the iPhone, and Samsung continues to be the world’s #2 smartphone maker… so Apple clearly doesn’t want to let them get any more foothold than they already have.
