In a statement Samsung said Apple had infringed 7 Australian patents owned by Samsung relating to wireless communications standards.

These infringement were by the iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 and iPad 2, Samsung said.

“On September 16 2011, Samsung Electronics filed a cross claim with the Federal Court of Australia, New South Wales Registry,” the statement said.

Samsung said it also had refuted Apple’s claims of patent breaches against it, and had sought to have Apple’s claims struck out.

Samsung said "the patents that Apple Inc. relies on in its claims against Samsung in relation to the Galaxy Tab 10.1 are invalid and should be revoked by the Court".

"Samsung has a proud history of innovation in the mobile industry", the statement  said.

"It has invested continuously in R&D, design and technology to produce our innovative and cutting-edge mobile devices.

"To defend our intellectual property, Samsung filed a cross claim for Apple’s violation of its wireless technology patents."

Samsung’s counter action in several jurisdictions indicates the gloves are really off in its battle with Apple and that the prolonged interim bans of its Galaxy 10.1 Tab in Australia and Europe are becoming significant to it.

Last week, a German court in Düsseldorf banned the Galaxy 10.1 Tab tablet computer from sale there ruling it had copied Apple''s iconic iPad.

Samsung is reported to be planning to appeal the German decision.

Samsung also reportedly has sought a ban on the sales of some Apple products in its home market of South Korea.

Apple has repeatedly accused  the Korean manufacturer of "blatant copying" of aspects of its mobile device technology.

"It's no coincidence that Samsung's latest products look a lot like the iPhone and iPad, from the shape of the hardware to the user interface and even the packaging," Apple Australia has said.

"This kind of blatant copying is wrong, and we need to protect Apple's intellectual property when companies steal our ideas."