[JURIST] Samsung Electronics [corporate website; Bloomberg backgrounder] filed a complaint [USITC docket] with the United States International Trade Commission (USITC) [official website] on Tuesday seeking to prevent Apple [corporate website; Bloomberg backgrounder] from importing iPads and iPhones. Samsung claims Apple has violated five patents [Bloomberg report] related to smartphones and tablets. Samsung also filed a patent infringement suit [Bloomberg report] against Apple in the High Court in London on Thursday.

Apple filed suit last week [JURIST report] in the Seoul Central District Court claiming that the Samsung “Galaxy” line of products copies its iPhone and iPad technology. In April, Apple filed a similar suit against Samsung [JURIST report] in the US. Samsung countered [JURIST report] by filing patent infringement suits against Apple in three different countries, alleging that Apple had infringed its technology related to energy consumption and preventing data transmission errors. Though competitors, Samsung and Apple rely on each in business. Apple is the largest buyer of computer and phone chips, while Samsung is the world’s largest manufacturer of those chips. In fact, after Apple’s initial lawsuit against Samsung, Apple indicated a willingness to continue working with Samsung [Bangkok Post report] as a partner. This latest round of lawsuits comes just two weeks after Apple agreed to pay an undisclosed amount in a settlement with Nokia Corp. [corporate website; Bloomberg backgrounder] in a different dispute regarding touch screens and application stores.