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Samsung fights Apple move toblock Galaxy sales

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SEOUL, South Korea (AP) ? Samsung
Electronics Co. said Thursday it will
fight Apple's move to stop U.S. sales of
its new Galaxy phone in the latest
flare-up of an intellectual property
battle between the world's top smartphone makers. Samsung said it will vigorously
oppose Apple's request for a court to
ban sales of the Galaxy S III
smartphone and still plans to go
ahead with the device's scheduled
release in the U.S. on June 21. The South Korean company said in a
statement that it will "demonstrate to
the court that the Galaxy S III is
innovative and distinctive." On Tuesday, Apple Inc. asked a U.S.
district court to temporarily ban sales
of the S III smartphone before its
launch in the United States. The maker
of the iPhone accused Samsung of
infringing two Apple patents. The request, if accepted by the U.S.
District Court for Northern California,
would deal a blow to Samsung's
attempt to get a headstart on sales of
Apple's next iPhone. The S III smartphone went on sale in
Europe on May 29 and will be offered
by around 300 mobile carriers in Asia
and North America later this month. The early launch puts Samsung in a
favorable position to take a bigger
chunk of the lucrative smartphone
market. While Apple is keeping mum
on its annual iPhone upgrade, many
analysts expect the new iPhone to go on sale as early as July. Samsung has become the biggest
threat to Apple's clout in the mobile
market as its Galaxy series of
smartphones won popularity among
consumers seeking an Android-
powered device. Most market research firms say
Samsung overtook Apple in
smartphone shipments for the first
time during the first three months of
this year. Samsung and Apple have been
embroiled in bitter patent lawsuits in
North America, Europe and Asia since
Apple accused Samsung of copying
its iPhone in April 2011. Chief executives of the two
companies met in San Francisco last
month after a court instructed them to
negotiate, but the talks didn't
produce a settlement. Amid the legal battles, the two
companies continue to do business
with each other. Samsung counts Apple as among its
largest buyers of chips and display
screens while Apple relies on
Samsung for mobile components.
 
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