Samsung heir apparent attends Steve Jobs’ memorial in the U.S.


Samsung Electronics said Monday it filed for a sales ban on Apple’s latest smartphone in Japan and Australia, while its heir apparent Lee Jae-yong visited the U.S. to attend the memorial service of Apple’s late co-founder, Steve Jobs.

The Seoul-based firm said it asked judges in Japan and Australia to ban sales of the iPhone 4S, claiming Apple violated the company’s mobile and user interface patents.

In Japan, Samsung is also seeking to ban the sales of its rival’s hot-selling tablet PC ― the iPad 2.

“Apple has continued to violate our patent rights and free ride on our technology. We will no longer let this go,” said Samsung officials. “As part of the effort, we have filed for injunctions at courts in Japan and Australia as well as those in France and Italy.”

Samsung filed motions against Apple to prevent the sales of the iPhone 4S in France and Italy on Oct. 5, day Jobs passed away after fighting pancreatic cancer for years.

In line with the ongoing patent battle, Samsung also said it filed an appeal on Monday to the Australian court’s ruling reached last week that blocked the sales of its Galaxy Tab 10.1.

The Samsung vs. Apple patent war has so far spread across nine countries, and more than 20 cases.

Meanwhile, Samsung’s chief operating officer Lee Jae-yong attended Jobs’ private memorial service on the campus of Stanford University, Monday, local time.

Lee, the son of Samsung Electronics chairman Lee Kun-hee, was invited by Apple’s chief Tim Cook to the exclusive memorial service.

News reports said Apple only invited prominent Silicon Valley figures and those close to Jobs. Former President Bill Clinton and Maria Shriver, the estranged wife of former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, were among the attendants.

“I’m going to the service personally as a friend,” Lee told reporters in Seoul before participating in the service. “Samsung and Apple have to be partners, competing fairly but fiercely in the markets.”

Industry watchers, however, say there is a possibility that the two sides may reach an agreement of some kind since it is likely that Lee and Cook may hold a meeting after the memorial.

By Cho Ji-hyun (sharon@heraldcorp.com)