Opening up a new front in its war with Apple, Samsung has filed a direct law suit against the firm in France, claiming the Cupertino giant has infringed its technological design patents within its devices.

It's the first time the legal wrangling between the two firms has moved into the country, but follows the banning of Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Germany after an injunction against it was upheld by a Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court.

C'est la vie

There are few details on the specifics of the infringements themselves, though AFP claims a source revealed they refer to the UMTS radio technology, used in 3G data networks.

"Samsung will continue to actively defend and protect our intellectual property, and to ensure our continued innovation and growth in the mobile communication business," said Samsung spokesperson Kim Titus of the move.

Initial court proceedings are scheduled to kick off in December, marking the eighth country (Germany, the Netherlands, the UK, Japan, Korea, the U.S. and Australia make up the others) in which legal battles between the two firms have occurred.

[source: mocoNews]