Samsung Countersues Apple for Patent Infringement (AAPL)

Samsung Electronics countersued Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) on Thursday, citing five patent infringements. The technology underlying both suits relates to the highly competitive smartphone market and the now-emerging tablet market.Samsung Electronics filed suit yesterday in the Seoul Central District Court in South Korea, citing five patent infringements. Additionally, Samsung filed a suit in a court in Tokyo, Japan citing two patent infringements, and in Manheim, Germany citing three patent infringements.Apple previously sued Samsung in U.S. District Court in Northern California, alleging patent and trademark infringement, as well as unfair competition. Apple is seeking injunctions, damages, and a finding that the alleged infringement was willful.An Apple representative then told Mobilized that “It's no coincidence that Samsung's latest products look a lot like the iPhone and iPad, from the shape of the hardware to the user interface and even the packaging. This kind of blatant copying is wrong, and we need to protect Apple's intellectual property when companies steal our ideas.”Samsung isn't staying on the defensive. According to the release, "Samsung is responding actively to the legal action taken against us in order to protect our intellectual property and to ensure our continued innovation and growth in the mobile communications business."Apple Inc. designs, manufactures and markets a range of personal computers, mobile communication and media devices, and portable digital music players, and sells a range of related software, services, peripherals, networking solutions, and third-party digital content and applications.Shares closed up higher $8.29 on Thursday, or more than 2%, to $350.70.