Apple has filed a lawsuit accusing Samsung of “slavishly” copying the designs of its iPad and iPhone devices, stating that “instead of pursuing independent product development, Samsung has chosen to slavishly copy Apple’s innovative technology, distinctive user interfaces, and elegant and distinctive product and packaging design.” According to the Financial Times, unlike many of the other ongoing actions in the mobile industry, the new case focuses on the appearance of devices, with the court documentation including photographs highlighting the similarities in design and user interface. Reuters reports that Samsung will “actively” respond to the accusations, raising the possibility that it will launch a counter-action based on its own intellectual property.

Separately, Bloomberg reports that the staff of the US International Trade Commission has recommended that HTC and Nokia should not be found guilty of infringing patents held by Apple, ahead of a trial which begins this week. The statement by the ITC staff is not binding, however, and a ruling could still be made in Apple’s favour after a full investigation. The case against HTC was described as “the first patent dispute over phones using the Android operating system to reach this stage at the ITC.” Last month, the ITC ruled in favour of Apple in a separate patent case with Nokia.