The packaging of an iPhone (left) compared to the packaging of a Samsung phone (right). An iPhone (left) compared to a Samsung Galaxy S phone (right). Apple's iOS icons (left) stacked up against the Samsung Galaxy Tab's icons (right). Apple's iTunes and phone icons for the iPhone (left), compared to the Galaxy S's music and phone icons (right).

In a lawsuit filed Friday, Apple accused Samsung of copying the iPad and the iPhone, and the Korean giant is threatening to retaliate.

Apple's lawsuit named some Samsung phones and the Samsung Galaxy Tab, claiming that their similarities with Apple products were beyond the realm of coincidence. The Cupertino, California corporation has accused Samsung of committing patent and trademark infringements.

"Samsung will respond actively to this legal action taken against us through appropriate legal measures to protect our intellectual property," the South Korean company said in a statement.

Samsung added that it has successfully built its own intellectual portfolio based on its own technologies.

Most interesting to note is that Apple is a customer of Samsung: The Korean company is the supplier of some components for Apple, and it manufactures some of the A4 and A5 processors that power the iPad, iPhone and Apple TV.

Given the relationship between the two companies, the lawsuit shows that Apple isn't afraid to sue anyone when it comes to its intellectual property, notes Nilay Patel, a former copyright attorney and former Engadget editor. Patel posted a full analysis of the lawsuit at This Is My Next Podcast.

Apple's lawsuit, which went public today [.pdf], includes a collection of images (above) comparing Apple packaging, hardware and software with Samsung's. Occasionally the images are stacked side by side to depict similarities.

In addition to claims of patent infringement and trademark infringement, Apple lists examples of "trade dress" infringement, which is basically a trademark for design elements.

The elements listed under "trade dress" infringements include "a rectangular product shape with all four corners uniformly rounded," "the front surface of the product dominated by a screen surface with black borders," "a metallic surround framing the perimeter of the top surface," and other characteristics used to describe a flat slab with a touchscreen.

“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,” an Apple representative said in a statement. “This kind of blatant copying is wrong, and we need to protect Apple’s intellectual property when companies steal our ideas.”