Samsung in counter-strike against Apple over iPads

Samsung yesterday filed patent lawsuits against Apple over the US firm's iPhone and iPad in a tit-for-tat case after Apple claimed Samsung's smartphones and tablets "slavishly" copied its products.

The counter lawsuit comes just days before Samsung launches a new product and could jeopardise business ties between the two companies, as Apple relies on Samsung for component supplies such as chips and LCD displays.

James Song, an analyst at Daewoo Securities, said: "Apple is quite annoyed by Samsung's fast rise in a market which it virtually created. It's quite threatening to see how quickly Samsung plays catch-up, and Apple might have felt a strong urge to put a brake on its march just when Samsung is set to roll out a new smartphone in May ahead of its new iPhone."

Apple sold 18.6 million iPhones in the last quarter alone. Samsung, which had a fraction of the booming market until early last year, is estimated to have sold around 13 million smartphones in January-March and aims to sell 60 million units this year.

Apple filed a lawsuit a week ago alleging Samsung violated patents and trademarks of its iPhone and iPad, as the popular gadgets are being threatened by the fast rise of rival devices based on Google's free Android operating system.