Samsung said on Thursday its flagship smartphone Galaxy S will go on sale in the U.S. market as planned, despite a sales injunction request filed by Apple to a U.S. court.
The S. Korean company said it will oppose Apple's request for a court to ban sales of the Galaxy S III smartphone and still plans to go ahead with the device's scheduled release in the U.S. on June 21.
"Samsung believes Apple's request is without merit. We will vigorously oppose the request," the South Korean firm said in a statement.
On Tuesday, Apple asked the U.S. District Court for Northern California to temporarily ban sales of the S III smartphone before its launch in the United States. The maker of the iPhone accused Samsung of infringing two Apple patents.
The S III smartphone went on sale in Europe on May 29 and will be offered by around 300 mobile carriers in Asia and North America later this month.
Samsung has become the biggest threat to Apple in the mobile market as its Galaxy series of smartphones won popularity and feature a larger display compared to the latest iPhone's. Market research firms also claim that Samsung overtook Apple in smartphone shipments for the first time during the first three months of this year. Apple is keeping mum on its annual iPhone upgrade, many analysts expect a new iPhone will go on sale as early as July.
Chief executives of Apple and Samsung met in San Francisco last month after a court instructed them to negotiate, but the talks didn't produce a settlement.
While the two companies are fighting on patents in the court rooms, they still remain partners. The South Korean company counts Apple as among its largest buyers of chips and display screens while Apple relies on Samsung for mobile components, such as memory chips.