Samsung fights back downunder

Launches countersuit against Apple

The ongoing Apple vs Samsung Electronics tablet patent battle has taken a new twist with Samsung filing a counter lawsuit in Australia.

Bloomberg reports that a Samsung Electronics spokesman confirmed that a counter claim was filed in the federal court of Australia, which alleges violation of seven Samsung patents.

The fresh lawsuit comes weeks ahead of an anticipated ruling on whether Samsung will be prevented from selling its Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet computer in Australia. Samsung’s Galaxy 10.1 remains off the market for Australian consumers, pulled off the shelves a week after launch due to Apple’s litigious intervention.

Samsung Electronics has also filed an appeal against a German court’s ban on sales of its Galaxy tablet computers. The appeal filed over the weekend with a Dusseldorf court follows a Sept. 9 ruling upholding the temporary nationwide sales ban on the Galaxy Tab 10.1 issued a month earlier.

“Samsung has a proud history of innovation in the mobile industry. It has invested continuously in R&D, design and technology to produce our innovative and cutting-edge mobile devices,” the Samsung spokesperson said. ®