Samsung hits back at Ericsson in patent battle

South Korea's Samsung Electronics said on Wednesday it had filed a complaint to seek a US import ban on some Ericsson products in an escalating patent battle with the Swedish mobile giant.

Samsung took the action Friday with the US International Trade Commission, seeking a ban on imports and sales of Ericsson's products over alleged infringements of Samsung's wireless and equipment patents.

"We have sought to negotiate with Ericsson in good faith. However, Ericsson has proven unwilling to continue such negotiations by making unreasonable claims, which it is now trying to enforce in court", Samsung said.

"Under such circumstances, we have no choice but to take the steps necessary to protect our company," it said in a statement.

The action came after Ericsson earlier in the month filed a complaint with the commission seeking a ban on the import of some of Samsung's wireless products, including devices in its Galaxy range.

The pair are currently engaged in a patent dispute in a US district court.

Ericsson claims Samsung is seeking to drastically reduce the fee it pays to license so-called standard essential patents, which protect inventions incorporated into broader technologies used throughout the industry, court filings showed.

Samsung argues Ericsson's fee is too high.

-- Dow Jones Newswires contributed to this report --