As Samsung and Apple continue to trade blows in their legal battle over patents, the ITC has given Samsung a bit more of a toehold Wednesday as it announced that it will investigate claims that Apple infringed on Samsung patents with its iPhone, iPod touch and iPad products.
The complaint, number 337-2824, was filed by Samsung on July 29th, and it alleges that Samsung has patents that cover ‘mobile electronic devices, including wireless communication devices, portable music devices, and tablet computers’ that Apple infringes upon with its devices.
The ITC agreeing to investigate the case doesn’t mean that Samsung has any more of a case than Apple does in its early July filing which targeted Samsung’s Galaxy line of products. But it does mean that both cases will be at least looked into by the ITC.
In its complaint, Apple said that Samsung has ‘slavishly’ copied the design of the iPhone and iPad in the creation of the Galaxy Tab, Infuse 4G and other products.
When Apple originally filed with the ITC to block imports from the competing manufacturer, Samsung told us that “There is no legal basis for [the motion for injunction] by Apple. We will continue to serve our customers and sales of Samsung products will proceed as usual.” Adam Yates, Director of Corporate Communications for Samsung North America told us, “Samsung will continue to actively defend and protect our intellectual property to ensure our continued innovation and growth in the mobile communication business.”
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Apple is currently involved in another ITC case against phone maker HTC in which it is claiming that the company is infringing on several of its patents and is looking for a similar ban against several of the rival’s devices.
Samsung’s Galaxy S II has become the best selling phone in the company’s lineup. Over 5 million Galaxy S II models have sold in countries around the world, before the phone has even had a chance to come to the US. The phone is slated for an August launch stateside. This launch is unlikely to be affected by the ongoing legal proceedings as the Apple case may not even be heard for another 18 months.
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