More France IP Communications Stories

The ongoing tussle between Apple (News - Alert) and Samsung continued on Wednesday when the South Korean electronics giant said that it would file patent infringement injunctions in France and Italy to stop the sale of the iPhone 4S, Apple latest smartphone model just introduced yesterday.

The preliminary injunctions will be the latest step in a hot-tempered legal battle between the two tech giants that began back in April when Apple accused Samsung of ripping off its iPhone (News - Alert) and iPad designs. Samsung has since sued Apple for allegedly infringing on its wireless technology.

With Wednesday's injunctions, the two mobile device makers have now sued each other more than 20 times over the last six months, according to Reuters.

The preliminary injunction requests will be filed in the "key markets" of Paris and Milan on Wednesday, but Samsung (News - Alert) has reserved the right take similar steps in other countries after further review.

"The infringed technology is essential to the reliable functioning of telecom networks and devices and Samsung believes that Apple's violation as being too severe and that iPhone 4S should be barred from sales," Samsung said in a statement. "Apple has continued to flagrantly violate our intellectual property rights and free ride on our technology, and we will steadfastly protect our intellectual property."

So far, the edge in the conflict between the two companies goes to Apple, which has won several legal battles in Europe and Australia that have led to the banning of Samsung devices in such markets.

Samsung is temporarily banned from selling the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Germany after the nation's court ordered a preliminary injunction at the behest of Apple in August. A handful of Samsung smartphones have also been banned in the Netherlands.

Apple is seeking to block the sale of various Samsung devices in the U.S, but a California court has yet to rule on the request. A similar decision in the U.S. would have far greater ramifications for Samsung, which trails only Apple in the global smartphone race. The two companies are scheduled to face off in courtrooms in South Korean, Australia and the U.S. in the coming week. Stay tuned.

Beecher Tuttle is a TMCnet contributor. He has extensive experience writing and editing for print publications and online news websites. He has specialized in a variety of industries, including health care technology, politics and education. To read more of his articles, please visit his columnist page.

Edited by Rich Steeves