Samsung Group

Samsung said it will investigate 105 Chinese firms that supply the electronics company to determine if they are violating labor laws, following a report last month that found that a parts supplier was using child labor and subjecting workers to inhumane conditions.

Samsung provider HEG Electronics was accused of maintaining a harsh disciplinary regime in China.

Samsung Electronics accused Apple Inc. of refusing to negotiate licensing key 3-G patents included in Apple’s iPhone and iPad on the first day of their patent trial in Federal Court in Sydney on Monday.

In a court fight between the world’s two largest smartphone makers, Samsung Electronics Co. won a legal ruling in the United Kingdom after a judge called its Galaxy tablets “not as cool” as Apple Inc.’s iPad, and therefore would not be confused for the iPad.

In a symbolic decision that could help bring the rivaling companies closer to a settlement, a Dutch court gave Samsung Electronics Co. its first victory in court in a slew of global patent disputes with Apple Inc.

Apple and Samsung once again dominated the smartphone industry, capturing a combined 55 percent of the market and 90 percent of the profits in the first quarter, according to a study by ABI Research released on Friday.