Samsung Sues Apple to Block iPhone 4S Sales

Samsung fired another salvo in its legal war with Apple today, filing suits in Japan and Australia to try to prevent iPhone 4S sales there—on top of similar suits already filed in France and Italy. Each suit revolves around a different patent Samsung says Apple is infringing, the Wall Street Journal reports. In Japan, it’s a user-interface patent, while in Australia it’s a patent on wireless telecom standards.

The moves come amid a larger back-and-forth legal war with Apple that underscores the importance of the smartphone market. Apple has been accusing Samsung of aping its designs, and struck a major blow on Thursday by winning an injunction in Australia to prevent Samsung from selling its Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet. “This kind of blatant copying is wrong,” an Apple Korea spokesman said. Samsung intends to appeal the decision. The Journal notes that Samsung is expected to report that mobile business made up more than half its profit this quarter. (More Samsung stories.)