Samsung and Apple sure seems to have a love-hate relationship. Even while the two companies continue to work with each other in business, they also wrestle brutally in legal battles.
In the latest episode, Samsung announced that it will fight Apple’s court request to ban the selling of the new Samsung Galaxy S III phone in the US market. This device is scheduled for launch this coming June 21st in the area.
Apple has long been asserting that Samsung is infringing on its patents with its products. Starting July 2011, Apple has been filing cases against Samsung in Asia, Europe, and North America, asserting that the South Korean company had been infringing its patents. It had even won some cases, forcing Samsung to do some redesigns on the Galaxy S II.
In the United States, however, Samsung and Apple have not settled their differences. Just last month, the two CEOS of the two companies were ordered to negotiate by a court. However, they were not able to arrive at a settlement.
Meanwhile, the court ban that Apple is requesting would mean huge losses for Samsung, which had been hoping to cash in some profits before Apple releases the next iPhone. Apple is expected to launch the new iPhone later this year, the earliest estimate being July, and the latest, sometime in October. This would have been a good opportunity for Samsung, especially since many research companies have revealed that for the first quarter of the year, Samsung sold more smartphones than Apple.
Still, outside the fierce smartphone competition, the two companies maintain a mutualistic relationship. Samsung supplies Apple with components for its devices while Apple purchases chips and screens from Samsung.