Apple’s patent battles

Samsung isn't the only rival to have become embroiled in a two-way patent dispute with Apple. The Cupertino firm also targeted Samsung's fellow Android handset manufacturers HTC and Motorola as part of a co-ordinated push against the growth of the Android platform (although, to date, they haven't gone directly after Google, the creators of Android - but Google's subsequent purchase of Motorola does put them on collision course.)

Apple also got into a patent fight with troubled Finnish smartphone giant Nokia; that one was started by Nokia, however, who finally decided to use their huge portfolio of patents to try and claw back a bit of their lost advantage in the smartphone field.