Samsung May Add iPhone 5 to Lawsuit

By Gerard Longo, Assistant Editor
The legal battle between Apple and Samsung took another turn on Thursday, Sept. 20 when Samsung revealed its tentative plans to add the iPhone 5, which was scheduled to go on sale the next day, to its latest patent lawsuit, pending a review of the device. However, according to the Wall Street Journal, Samsung may also pursue a sales bans on the iPhone 5.

The new case sees each company accuse the other of violating eight of its respective patents, and comes just a month after a ruling in another suit that awarded over $1 billion to Apple after determining that Samsung violated six of its patents.

In a statement published by BBC News, the Samsung stated: "We have always preferred to compete in the marketplace with our innovative products, rather than in courtrooms. However, Apple continues to take aggressive legal measures that will limit market competition. Under these circumstances, we have little choice but to take the steps necessary to protect our innovations and intellectual property rights."
 
The well-documented dispute extends beyond U.S. borders, as the companies continue to clash in 10 countries, including Samsung’s native South Korea. It was there that an Aug. 24 split decision ruling resulted in a partial sales ban of mobile devices from each company.
 
This case is set to go to trial in March 2014.