European iPhone 5 Launch Threatened by Potential Samsung Legal Action?

Tweet

Yesterday we learned that Samsung is already interested in banning the sales of the iPhone 5 in South Korea despite the fact the device is not yet official. Apple is expected to announce its new flagship handset in a few weeks, during a special media event, and launch it thereafter. But Samsung may counterattack not only with a Google Nexus Prime launch, but also by filing several other lawsuits in European courts.

Europe has been a fertile soil for Apple as the company scored a number of victories in Germany and the Netherlands against various Samsung Android devices, including tablets and smartphones. The Galaxy S II, Galaxy S and Galaxy Ace can’t be sold in The Netherlands and a similar injunction targets the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and the Galaxy Tab 7.7 in Germany.

The legal battle between these two gigantic corporations keeps growing, and that’s despite the fact the two companies also have a fruitful partnership in which they exchange Apple cash for Samsung components. But the stakes are getting higher and higher in the mobile and tablet universe where iOS and Android are fighting a fierce battle.

Will the iPhone 5 launch be, in any way, crippled by new Samsung lawsuits? Reuters reports that the South Korean company is considering a potential strike against the iPhone 5 in Europe, although company officials are not ready to confirm such actions yet.

After the wave of defeats endured by Apple that are certainly helping Apple prove the point it’s trying to make since it started the legal crusade back in April, it’s not surprising to see Samsung take the offensive. Between the two companies there are just over 20 legal battles pending a final decision and something tells me that number is going only up. Let’s also not forget that the next Google Nexus phone is also hitting stores later this year, and Apple is certainly going to eat that device for breakfast in search for potential patent infringements.

What’s really silly though is Samsung’s way of seeking injunctions against a product that has not seen the light of day. Care to disagree?