Samsung seeks Dutch ban on 3G iPhone, iPad

Reuters: Samsung Electronics Co and Apple Inc fought the latest battle of their patent wars on Monday when the Korean firm urged a Dutch court to ban Apple's iPads and iPhones in the Netherlands.

Samsung has also filed four patents cases against Apple in The Hague and asked for a preliminary injunction against all of Apple's mobile products that use 3G technology, including iPhones and iPads.

That is likely to include the latest iPhone5, which is expected in October.

A Dutch judge said on Monday he would rule by Oct. 14 on Samsung's bid to ban the sale, distribution and import of Apple iPhones and iPads in the Netherlands, ahead of the next four separate patent cases due to run through to Nov. 17 in The Hague. The two technology titans have been locked in an acrimonious global battle over smartphone and tablet patents since April. Apple has successfully blocked Samsung from selling its latest tablets in Germany and some smartphone models in the Netherlands.

On Monday, Samsung's legal team in The Hague accused Apple of not paying licensing fees for some of Samsung's patents before it started selling iPhones.

"Apple should have asked for a licence before it launched the iPhone in 2007 or 2008 in Holland. Period," Samsung's lawyer Bas Berghuis said in court.

Apple's lawyer Rutger Kleemans told the Dutch court on Monday: "Samsung never demanded a licence until 2010 and before that Samsung remained silent because Apple is an important customer of Samsung."

Lawyers from Apple and Samsung argued their cases at a hearing in The Hague district court and agreed not to request additional injunctions before the judge rules in mid-October.

Apple and Samsung are vying for top spot in the global smartphone market and are squaring off over patents in courtrooms around the world.