Eu Antitrust Chief Says Commission Will Announce Antitrust Objections Against Samsung Over Apple Patent Disputes

Another day, another patent-related story.

According to a report from Bloomberg this morning, the European Union is preparing to announce antitrust objections against Samsung for its use of “standard- essential patents in legal disputes with Apple.”

“We will adopt the statement of objections very soon,” said EU antitrust chief Joaquin Almunia at a press conference, while noting the objections will arrive by the end of 2012 or early 2013 as a formal complaint that lists antitrust concerns.

Bloomberg elaborated on the matter:

The Apple-Samsung patent news doesn’t end there, though…

The U.S. Patent Office, according to AllThingsD, preliminarily rejected a crucial Apple interface patent yesterday that concerned multi-touch gestures. The patent notably featured an element that played a hefty role in Apple’s infringement verdict against Samsung last summer. 

AllThingsD noted: “Apple now has the opportunity to respond as part of the re-examination process, initiated by a Samsung request.”