Samsung becomes Android leader via disputes with Apple: report

HONG KONG (Yonhap) -- Samsung Electronics Co. has upgraded its status to an Android leader from a latecomer among Android-based smartphone makers via a series of patent disputes with Apple Inc. across the globe, a JP Morgan report said Wednesday.

Samsung Electronics and Apple, the world's two largest smartphone makers, have been locked in a series of legal suits, accusing each other of design and technology patent infringements on their key mobile devices, including Galaxy mobile devices, iPhones and iPads.

There have been more 50 patent lawsuits between the two companies spanning 10 countries since April of last year.

"We think these global patent lawsuits have advanced its (Samsung's) position from being an Android latecomer to being a leader among Android-based smartphone makers," said JJ Park, an analyst at JP Morgan. "The company (Samsung) has proved itself to be a comparable handset maker to Apple in terms of both hardware features and brand, in our opinion."

Apple has filed a claim that Samsung Electronics infringed on its four design patents and three utility patents in making its Google's Android operating system-based smartphones. However, Samsung's most recent products, the Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note, are not included in Apple's filing.

Samsung claims infringements by Apple on two three-generation (3G) network patents, which are key to high speed data transfer on a 3G network, three utility patents and three software patents.

The latest round of the patent war is taking place in California, where the iPhone maker is based, with a verdict expected Friday.

Many market watchers are keen to know the result of this trial as the U.S. market is the biggest single market for mobile devices.

Courts in other countries such as South Korea and Australia have delayed their final verdict until after the U.S. court ruling. (Yonhap)