Between them, the two companies sell about half of the world's mobile phones. The battle between them is about more than money, according to Ray Van Dyke, a patent specialist, of Van Dyke in Washington. He told Bloomberg Law: 'Sometimes, the money’s not enough. Between Apple and Samsung, it’s about who’s going to be the top dog. You want to shut them down. This is the club. You can beat them into submission with a club and maintain your top dog status.'

Apple seeking a ban

Apple is now seeking the ban of Samsung phones after a California court held that Korea-based Samsung had violated some of the Apple patents. But Samsung, in one of its pleadings, says that a broadly-worded ban on its products 'could create an immediate shortage of millions of mobile devices'. 

Litigation in over 50 states

The 'mobile patent wars' are believed to have involved litigation in over 50 states in the last two years. Several other legal battles are also going through crucial stages. The US International Trade Commission is also about to announce its review of a recent court decision on the dispute. Both the Korean government and the US President, Barak Obama, have also become players in the legal battles.