Korea investigates Samsung amid Apple antitrust accusations
updated 02:57 pm EDT, Fri September 7, 2012
Legal war continues to expand
South Korean authorities have reportedly opened in investigation into Samsung's business practices, following antitrust complaints from rival Apple. The iPhone maker has accused its Korean rival of abusing its dominant position in the wireless technology market.
The Korea Fair Trade Commission (FTC) is handling the investigation, which aims to determine if Samsung is anticompetitively wielding its wireless technology patents, though full details surrounding the inquiry remain unclear, according to a Reuters report.
The probe marks the latest expansion in a legal war that is currently being fought between Apple and Samsung in a wide range of countries. Samsung recently lost a high-profile trial in a California court, where jurors proposed over $1 billion in damages after finding the company guilty of patent infringement.
A three-judge panel in Samsung's home country came to a split decision, finding both Apple and Samsung guilty of patent infringement. The court handed down minuscule fines but ordered sales bans on a number of devices, including the iPhone 4, iPad 2, Galaxy Nexus, and Galaxy Tab, among others.
South Korea's FTC has yet to announce a formal decision in its investigation.
