Samsung plans to step up the patent battle with smartphone and tablet rival Apple, toawards the release of the next generation iPhone, a top Samsung executive said.

"We'll be pursuing our rights for this in a more aggressive way from now on," Lee Younghee, head of global marketing for mobile communications, said Friday in an interview with the Associated Press.

Lee, a senior vice president at Samsung, described its previous approach as "passive."

The fight bewteen Apple and Samsung began when Apple sued Samsung in April in the United States, alleging the product design, user interface and packaging of Samsung's Galaxy devices "slavishly copy" the iPhone and iPad.

Samsung has responded with its own lawsuits accusing Apple of violating its intellectual property. The fight has spread to 10 countries including the U.S., South Korea, Germany, the Netherlands and Australia.

The battle is complicated as Apple and Samsung are not only competitors in the global market for smartphones and tablet computers, but also have a close business relationship. Samsung supplies some of the key components that go into Apple products.

Lee said that in consideration of those links between the two companies , Samsung had been "quite respectful and also passive in a way", adding that the company's will change from now on.

Lee claims that Samsung holds numerous patents covering wireless telecommunications technology; key functions including allowing a mobile phone user to speak on the phone and receive an e-mail at the same time.

Earlier this month, a German court ruled that Samsung cannot directly sell its new Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet in the country, saying the design too closely resembles Apple's iPad 2. Samsung has appealed the decision.

Samsung also took further action in The Netherlands on Friday and added four more lawsuits to the quickly swelling pile of litigation between the two tech titans.

Earlier this week, an unnamed Samsung executive said that the company plans to take Apple's unannounced iPhone 5 to court in Korea the moment it debuts.

Samsung's newest suits aim to prevent Apple from selling the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad 1, and iPad 2 in The Netherlands. Samsung asked for a preliminary injunction, and its complaints will be heard in court on Monday.

Lee also commented on Google 's proposed deal to buy mobile phone maker Motorola Mobility.

"We still have a very good relationship," she said. "We are working very closely with Google."