Is it Samsung bashing or Apple fetish?

By Kim Yoo-chul

Samsung Electronics said Thursday it would take “all necessary measures” to fight the temporary injunction granted to Apple preventing the Korean firm selling its Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Europe.

Samsung has vowed to defend its intellectual property (IP) rights.

Apple, Samsung’s top client and biggest competitor in smartphones, said it has won the injunction and contends that the Galaxy phones and tablet computers ``slavishly copy’’ its iPhone and iPad.

Samsung, which released its updated Galaxy 10.1 in Europe in June, is also facing similar suits in Australia and the United States.

But the South Korean technology heavyweight has countersued Apple here, in Japan and in the United States.

``We will make an imminent appeal on the verdict,’’ said a high-ranking Samsung executive directly involved in the matter.

A German court ordered Samsung to temporarily stop selling its tablets in the eurozone as the design of the Galaxy Tab closely resembles that of Apple’s iPad 2.

Europe is a critical market along with North America, and court hearings on the issue are being scheduled in the Netherlands ― the only EU nation where the German order isn’t effective.

``Cautiously, Samsung is seeking the possibility of an injunction on Apple products in Europe as we struggle for smoother shipments of Tabs to our European customers,’’ said the executive Thursday, asking not to be identified.

A Samsung spokesman Kevin Jeong said it will try to settle matters as early as possible to soothe concerns of Samsung clients.

In Australia, another country where Apple has sought to ban the sale of the Tab 10.1, Samsung has agreed not to introduce the tablets until a lawsuit there is resolved.

Samsung is a major competitor with Apple in smartphones and tablets as it has been boosting the production of such devices thanks to the Korean firm’s competitive edge in manufacturing.

Along with Apple, Samsung’s other U.S.-based partner, Microsoft, was asking Samsung to pay royalties in return for using their mobile patents.

The latest Samsung legal plan comes after Apple shifted orders of its iPad 2 displays from LG Display to Samsung, as well as Taiwan-based Chimei Innolux (CMI) after quality issues with its LG units had been causing shipping delays.

Samsung has doubled its iPad 2 screen output forecast from one million to two million, while rival LG’s estimate of four million only yielded about 2.5 million, according to industry executives. Samsung spokesman Ken Noh declined to confirm this.

Samsung executives said more display and chip orders from Apple amid the rising popularity of its devices worldwide have led Samsung to adopt a cautious approach in handling lawsuits with the company.

Apple will become the biggest client for Samsung this year. It buys memory chips, mobile DRAMs, application processors and flat-screen displays from Samsung.

It’s been expected Apple’s estimated amount of parts bought from Samsung will reach over $8 billion and officials said it’s unlikely Apple will completely change its parts-receiving channel from Samsung to others such as Taiwan-based ones.

They say this is because Samsung has more advanced chip- and display-making technologies, which also means better product quality.

``For those reasons, Samsung is passive over patent fights, though it has more wireless tech-related patents than Apple,’’ said a fund manager from a Europe-based investment bank.

But the court ruling from the Netherlands may affect those in the United States because the Netherlands is currently the only nation in Europe where Samsung can ``legally’’ sell the Galaxy Tab.

``It’s quite meaningless for the court ruling in Australia. But things are totally different in Europe. If Apple wins even in the Netherlands, then that’s a negative in the United States,’’ added the manager, asking not to be identified because he wasn’t given the right to officially speak to the media.

Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee recently ordered his top lieutenants to scout more proven software experts as an apparent strategy to further boost Samsung’s capabilities in patent-related issues in the world of software.