EU Commission probes Samsung, Apple over patents

European Union regulators are investigating whether Samsung Electronics and Apple may have breached EU antitrust laws with patent infringement claims in their global legal battle over the lucrative smartphone and tablet market. The two technology companies are embroiled in more than 20 legal disputes in 10 countries. "The (European) Commission has indeed sent requests for information to Apple and Samsung concerning the enforcement of 'standards-essential' patents in the mobile telephony sector," the European Commission said. "Such requests for information are standard procedure in antitrust investigations, to allow the Commission to establish the relevant facts in a case. We have no other comments at this stage," it added.