US technology giant Apple has filed a lawsuit in South Korea claiming Samsung Electronics copied its products, in the latest round of an international legal battle between the pair.

“We have filed a lawsuit against Samsung with the Seoul Central District Court,” Steve Park, a spokesman for Apple Korea, told Dow Jones Newswires.

Apple Korea said in a statement it was “no coincidence that Samsung’s latest products look a lot like the iPhone and iPad, from the shape of the hardware to the user interface and even the packaging.

“This kind of blatant copying is wrong, and we need to protect Apple’s intellectual property when companies steal our ideas,” it said.

The South Korean firm said Apple’s latest legal action wouldn’t affect its own lawsuit.

“We will continue to actively defend and protect our intellectual property and to ensure our continued innovation and growth in the mobile communication business,” it said in a statement. Samsung and Apple are entangled in widening legal battles.

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