S.Korean venture firm sues Apple for patent infringement

A South Korean venture firm, which provides a mobile message service, filed a lawsuit against Apple' s Seoul branch for patent infringement, Yonhap News Agency reported Monday citing legal experts.

Infonzone has filed a complaint with the Seoul Central District Prosecutor's Office against Apple, claiming Apple's iMessage service infringed on its technology of telecommunication operating system.

The iMessage service has been embedded in iPhones since June 2011 to enable iPhone users to send and receive text messages free of charge.

When iPhone users transmit messages with the iMessage service, it will be free as it sends data via data networks. But when the receiver uses phones made by other companies such as Samsung Electronics, it could infringe on Infozone's patent as it uses paid mobile networks.

The Infonzone said Apple infringed upon its technology of changing data-transmission routes depending on what kind of handset and operating system the receiver uses.