Samsung counter sues Apple as patent dispute deepens

Samsung Electronics Co. said it sued Apple Inc. (AAPL) claiming patent infringement, a week after the iPhone maker filed a complaint in U.S. federal court alleging the South Korean company copied its products. Samsung submitted complaints to courts in Seoul, Tokyo and Mannheim, Germany, alleging Apple infringed patents related to mobile-communications technologies, Suwon-based Samsung said in an e-mailed statement today. Steve Dowling, a spokesman for Apple, declined to comment and referred back to the company's complaint filed last week. The move deepens a legal dispute that's pitting the maker of the iPhone and iPad against the producer of the Galaxy mobile devices amid surging demand for smartphones and tablet computers. Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs, who relies on Samsung to supply chips for Apple products, said last month the company was among the tablet makers angling to make 2011 the "Year of Copycats". - Bloomberg