Wednesday, March 07, 2012, 09:31 am

Samsung files new patent infringement suit against Apple in South Korea

By Katie Marsal

The number of lawsuits between Samsung and Apple continues to grow, as on Wednesday Samsung revealed it had filed another patent infringement claim in South Korea, accusing the iPhone 4S and iPad 2 of infringing on three patents.

The suit filed in a court in Seoul alleges that Apple's latest smartphone and its second-generation tablet infringe on patents related to displaying data, the user interface, and short text messages, according to Reuters. There are now more than 30 lawsuits between Apple and Samsung spanning across 10 countries.

The latest filing comes as Apple is expected to show off its next-generation iPad at a media event scheduled to begin today at 10 a.m. Pacific, 1 p.m. Eastern in San Francisco.

If history is any indication, Samsung could act quickly in an attempt to block sales of Apple's next iPad. Last October, Samsung filed lawsuits almost immediately after the iPhone 4S was unveiled, attempting to block the launch of the device in France and Italy.

The latest suit also comes after it was revealed on Tuesday that Apple has offered settlements to both Samsung and Motorola in its patent infringement disputes. It was said that Apple has sought royalties of between $5 and $15 per Android-based handset sold by its rivals.

Apple reportedly entered into negotiations with Samsung before it took the company to court. The iPhone maker's first lawsuit against Samsung came last April, when it accused Samsung of copying the look and feel of the iPhone and iPad.