Tit-for-tat: Samsung sues Apple

Samsung has hit back at Apple in a tit-for-tat lawsuit just days after Apple sued the South Korean firm for 'slavishly copying' its iPhone and iPad designs.

According to the Mail Online, Samsung today accused Apple of infringing ten mobile technology patents in a countersuit filed in South Korea, Germany and Japan.

Exactly a week ago, Apple had taken legal action against Samsung alleging its Galaxy line of smartphones and tablet computers infringed its copyright.

Samsung copied Apple's product design, user interface and packaging, according to that lawsuit, filed on April 15 in the US District Court in northern California.

Apple is seeking an order barring the South Korean company from infringing on a variety of its patents and trademarks, as well as unspecified damages.

'This kind of blatant copying is wrong,' Apple spokesperson Kristin Huguet said in a statement shortly after their lawsuit was filed.

A Samsung spokesman responded with a short statement to say the company's products are the result of its own research and development.

Following today's countersuit, a Samsung statement said that Apple's iPhone and iPad infringe Samsung's ten mobile technology patents and it called for Apple to stop infringing its technology and compensate the company.

“Samsung is responding actively to the legal action taken against us in order to protect our intellectual property and to ensure our continued innovation and growth in the mobile communications business,” the statement said.

The two-way legal action comes 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.

“Apple is quite annoyed by Samsung's fast rise in a market which it virtually created,” James Song, an analyst at Daewoo Securities, said.

'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.”