Apple strikes back over to iPad mini accusations by claiming Samsung's new tablet infringes its patents

Apple has hit back in the increasingly bitter patent battle with Samsung by naming six more products in its lawsuit against its tech rival.

The latest tit-for-tat move in the legal war between the two companies comes after Samsung filed papers at a US court claiming that Apple's iPad mini, released this month, infringes eight technology patents.

Apple Inc has now asked a federal court to add six more products to its patent infringement lawsuit against Samsung Electronics Co, including the Samsung Galaxy Note II.

The case is one of two patent infringement lawsuits pending in the U.S. District Court in San Jose by Apple against Samsung. An earlier lawsuit by Apple that related to different patents resulted in a $1.05 billion jury verdict against Samsung on Aug. 24.

Apple is also seeking to add the Samsung Galaxy S III, running the new Android 'Jelly Bean' operating system, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 Wifi, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1, the Samsung Rugby Pro, and the Samsung Galaxy S III Mini, to its lawsuit, according to a court filing on Friday.

'Apple has acted quickly and diligently to determine that these newly-released products do infringe many of the same claims already asserted by Apple,' the company said in the filing.

Samsung representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Apple filed the second lawsuit in February, alleging that various Samsung smartphone and tablet products including the Galaxy Nexus infringed eight of its patents.

Samsung denied infringement and filed a cross-complaint alleging that Apple's iPhone and iPad infringed eight of its patents.

A U.S. judge on Nov. 15 allowed Samsung to pursue claims the iPhone5 also infringes its patents.

Last week Korean giant Samsung has asked a judge to add Apple's new 7.9-inch tablet to a list of products, including the iPod Touch 5, and the iPad 4, which it claims violate patents on radio signalling technologies.

The rivals have filed cases against each other in more than 10 countries, each accusing the other of violating its patents.

Last week Apple successfully applied to add Google’s latest mobile operating system, Android 4.2, Jelly Bean, to the case.

In a minor victory for Samsung, on Wednesday, the judge ordered Apple to disclose the financial details of its patent licensing deal with HTC.

Apple and HTC signed a 10-year licence agreement earlier this month, but did not make the details public.

But the court ordered Apple to produce a full copy of the settlement agreement 'without delay', subject to an 'attorneys' eyes only' designation, meaning it will not be made public.

Legal experts say the question of which patents are covered by the HTC settlement, and licensing details, could be instrumental in Samsung's efforts to thwart Apple's subsequent quest for a permanent sales ban on its products.

Samsung has argued it is 'almost certain' that the HTC deal covers some of the same patents involved in its own litigation with Apple.

It seeks to show Apple is willing to license its technology if the price is right.

It has been speculated that HTC has agreed to pay Apple a royalty of up to $8 on each smartphone it sells, but the figure has been flatly denied by the firm’s chief executive.

The settlement of Apple and HTC ended their worldwide litigation and brought to a close one of the first major flare-ups in the global smartphone patent wars.

Apple first sued HTC in 2010, setting in motion a legal conflagration that has since circled the globe and engulfed the biggest names in mobile technology.


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