US court opens door for Apple to apply for Galaxy S3 sales ban

The US court overseeing the case between Apple and Samsung has ruled that Apple can expand the number of Samsung devices it wants to ban beyond the eight in the original case, according to Reuters.

The ruling means Apple could be able to request the US court block the sale of newer Samsung products within the US, potentially meaning the flagship Galaxy S3 smartphone could be under threat.

The lawsuit currently covers eight older-model smartphones, including the Galaxy S2 but the ruling places the Galaxy S3 in danger as many of the infringements listed on the older devices could be applied to Samsung's newer devices.

"The evidence and weight of the case are heavily in Apple's favour," Jefferies & Co analyst Peter Misek was quoted as saying by Reuters.

"We expect there's a two-thirds chance of an injunction against Samsung products."

This would have a serious impact on Samsung, which has warned in the past that it believes Apple is looking to steal control of the smartphone market by hampering competitors' ability to release new products.

"It is unfortunate that patent law can be manipulated to give one company a monopoly over rectangles with rounded corners, or technology that is being improved every day by Samsung and other companies," Samsung has said.

Apple secured its victory on 24 August, when the US District Court ruled that Samsung's devices infringe on patents related the iOS platform. The ruling awarded Apple $1bn in damages, although the firm originally sought close to $2.5bn.

Apple and Samsung's legal battle began in the US in 2011 after Apple accused Samsung of "slavishly copying" Apple iPad designs with its Galaxy tablets. Samsung subsequently responded to the accusation with its own slew of patent infringement claims.

Samsung and Apple's patent war has since escalated and gone global, with the two currently embroiled in 50 patent lawsuits across 10 countries.