Apple claims $2.5 billion against Samsung in patent case

Apple claims it is entitled to $2.5 billion in damages against rival tech company Samsung in an ongoing battle over patents used in the popular iPhone and iPad.

According to Reuters, the figure was revealed in a court filing one week before the two electronics giants are scheduled to face off in court in San Jose, California.

The maker of the iPad has accused Samsung of patent infringement by choosing “to compete by copying Apple" and making it’s own products, including the Galaxy tablet, look like Apple products. Samsung has countered that it developed its products independently and that Apple instead owes it money for using Samsung’s technology, "without which Apple could not have become a successful participant in the mobile telecommunications industry."

Samsung, the South Korean company, recently overtook Apple as the world’s largest maker of smartphones.

According to PCMag, Apple called its estimate “conservative” and said it was entitled to “over $25 million in reasonable royalty damages on the proportionally small set of remaining sales for which it cannot obtain an award of Samsung's profits or Apple's own lost profits, for a combined total of $2.525 billion.”

Meanwhile, Apple won another victory over Samsung today in anticipation of the California court case. A German court extended a ban on the sale of Samsung’s tablet, Galaxy Tab 7.7, to all of the European Union, says USA Today. Germany previously banned Samsung from selling the tablet within the country because of claims it violated Apple’s design patent from the iPad. Earlier today, that ban was expanded to all of the EU though Samsung can continue to sell its Galaxy Tab 10.1N tablet.

"Samsung is disappointed with the court's ruling. We will continue to take all available measures, including legal action, to protect our intellectual property rights and defend against Apple's claims to ensure our products remain available to consumers throughout the European Union," the company told CNN in a statement.

According to CNET, sales of iPads are up 84 percent from last year's quarter with 17 million sold.