Apple targets Android Jelly Bean in latest Samsung suit

As strange it may seem, Apple is now claiming that Android 4.1 “Jelly Bean” infringes on its patents in yet another patent case against Samsung. Yes, even though Android is built by Google.

Additionally, Apple reiterated that the Galaxy Note 10.1 infringes on its patents — something that its lawyers argued back in August in a separate case. Apple made the arguments today to U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul S. Grewal in a San Jose federal court, Bloomberg reports.

Apple appears to be targeting Jelly Bean, the latest version of Android, because it runs on the Samsung-built Galaxy Nexus smartphone. But it could also be seen as a sly maneuver to bring infringement claims against other smartphones running the OS, should the court ends up ruling in Apple’s favor. Apple attorney Andrew Liao said the company is only focusing on the Galaxy Nexus for now.

The latest complaints will be part of a separate Apple v. Samsung case set for trial in 2014 — even though it’s filed in the same court where both companies duked it out in front of Judge Lucy Koh. In the latter trial, which became a media sensation since it was the first high-profile software patent case from major companies, the jury order Samsung to pay $1 billion for willfully infringing on Apple’s design patents.