Apple’s patent infringement battle with Samsung has taken another turn in Japan with the iPad maker asking a court to block sales of the Galaxy Tab 7 tablet and Galaxy S and S II smartphones in the country, according to Reuters.
Apple and Samsung have been locked in a legal battle over patent infringement claims for several months. Both companies have alleged that the other’s mobile devices use patented technologies without proper licensing, and have filed lawsuits against each other in the U.S. and other countries.
Apple wants to block Galaxy Tab sales in Japan
Samsung filed a lawsuit against Apple in Japan in April over allegations that the iPhone and iPad maker is using mobile communication patents it owns without proper licensing. Apple countersued in August claiming Samsung is blatantly copying the look and feel of the iPhone and iPad with its Android-based tablets and smartphones.
Apple has already been awarded temporary injunctions blocking the sale of some Samsung products in Germany and other parts of the European Union, and Samsung has agreed to postpone its Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet launch in Australia until the end of September. Apple is also hoping to win a preliminary injunction against Samsung in the United States.
Along with a sales ban in Japan, Apple is asking the court 100 million yen (about US$1.3 million) in damages.