T-Mobile sides with Samsung over Apple

MOBILE OPERATOR T-mobile USA is opposing Apple's effort to get Samsung tablets and smartphones banned on its home territory.

The firm joins Verizon on the Samsung side of the battlefield and like that firm will probably have its eyes more on holiday sales than trade freedom or copyright.

According to Reuters, the firm opposed Apple's plans in a court filing that warns that banning imports would "unnecessarily harm" it and its customers, particularly as it seems to be ready to start flogging them but less keen on finding any alternatives to sell.

"At this late date, T-Mobile could not find comparable replacement products for the 2011 holiday season," it says in the court filing, along with complaints that its marketing campaigns already include the Galaxy S 4G phone and Galaxy Tab 10.1. "These investments cannot be recouped easily," the company wrote.

Apple has taken its anti-Samsung crusade across the globe. Seeing similarities between its hand-sized smartphone and its tablet-like devices, it has decided to land on the rival products with all the weight of the lawyers.

The debate has seen some victories for Apple, but with growing pressure from the marketplace it might find itself losing the sympathetic ear of regulators, never mind retailers. µ