The nasty patent war between Samsung and Apple looks to be entering a new chapter.
This time, the iPhone 5 is in jeopardy – a product that hasn’t even been announced.
According to a new report from Korea Times, Samsung plans to file a lawsuit as soon as Apple makes the next version of its ubiquitous smartphone official. The company will reportedly point to patents it holds related to mobile technology and say that Apple is in violation of them.
“For as long as Apple does not drop mobile telecommunications functions, it would be impossible for it to sell its i-branded products without using our patents. We will stick to a strong stance against Apple during the lingering legal fights,” an unnamed source reportedly told the publication.
This of course comes after Apple sued Samsung because it claimed Samsung’s Galaxy Tab was a blatant rip-off of the iPad. That argument has had mixed results in court, but it was pretty effective in Germany, where Galaxy Tab sales are now banned.
Patent disputes between the two companies have now led to an all-out war, and regardless of what ends up happening, there will likely be no real winner.
Of course we’ll have to wait until the iPhone 5 is unveiled before we see where this next chapter will lead.
