Samsung Electronics Co. today said that that it had asked judges in Japan and Australia to temporarily ban sales of the iPhone 4S,accusing Apple of violating its mobile and user interface patents. In Japan,Samsung is also seeking to win a court injunction on the iPad 2,it said in a statement. Apple has continued to violate our patent rights and free ride on our technology. We will no longer stand idly by and will steadfastly protect our intellectual property, Samsungs statement said. Before the iPhone 4S hit shelves on Friday,Samsung filed motions in Italy and France to ban its sales,also alleging Apples violations of Samsungs mobile technologies. Despite this,the iPhone 4S,went on sale in seven countries,including France. The smartphone received forecast-beating demand around the world and broke the sales records of the previous iPhones. The escalating legal disputes between Samsung and Apple that started in April spans a dozen countries and around 20 lawsuits,even though Apple is Samsungs biggest customer for its semiconductor business. Apple secured a temporary sales ban on Samsungs tablet computer in Germany and Australia,which may ultimately force the Korean firm to miss out on the key holiday sales season.
