WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesús.
US market-leader Verizon Wireless has come to the aid of Samsung in the South Korean vendor’s legal battle with Apple, officially lodging its opposition to Apple’s efforts to seek an injunction to block shipments of Samsung’s smartphones and tablets into the US. Verizon argues that an injunction would hinder its rollout of LTE.
FOSS Patents reports that the US number-one operator has submitted a request to a Californian court to file an amicus curiae ("friend of the court") brief in support of Samsung, which would allow Verizon to intervene as a third party in the case.
In its request, the firm argued that a victory for Apple in the US case "would hinder Verizon Wireless in developing and deploying its next generation high-speed LTE network, the job growth dependant on that network, and will undercut key public policy goals, including expansion of Americans' access to broadband networks and faster communication with emergency personnel."
While Verizon Wireless has been a keen supporter of Android-based smartphones (including those made by Samsung), it has also offered a version of the iPhone since February this year, breaking rival AT&T’s three-and-a-half year exclusive hold over the device.
Apple filed its preliminary injunction against Samsung in the US in July, alleging patent infringements by four Samsung products: the Infuse 4G, Galaxy S 4G, Droid Charge and Galaxy Tab 10.1. The case is due to be heard on 13 October.
The two firms are currently locked in about 20 legal disputes over patents in nine countries including the US, Germany, Australia, South Korea, Japan and the UK. Early decisions have ruled in favour of Apple; a German court this month upheld a complaint by Apple that Samsung copied the iPad, banning the sale of Samsung´s Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Europe´s largest market. Nevertheless, Samsung said it should still meet its 2011 target for tablet sales.
Samsung appeared to raise the stakes in the dispute last week, announcing it was “preparing aggressive legal suits against Apple, shifting away from our defensive strategy.” It is thought that this could include action against Apple´s as yet unreleased iPhone 5.
