An employee of Samsung Electronics demonstrates Samsung's Galaxy Tab tablet during a photo opportunity at a showroom of the company in Seoul in this January 18, 2011 file photograph. Apple Inc sued rival Samsung Electronics claiming that Samsung's Galaxy line of mobile phones and tablet "slavishly" copies the iPhone and iPad, according to court papers. [Photo/Agencies]

SAN FRANCISCO - Apple Inc has sued Samsung Electronics Co over patent infringement in a latest suit, US media reported Monday.

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The suit, filed last Friday in US District Court in Northern California, alleged that Samsung's smartphones, such as "Glaxy S 4G" and "Nexus S," and the Galaxy line of tablet computers violated Apple's patent and trademark, according to All Things Digital, a technology and startup company news site.

"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," the report quoted an Apple representative as saying.

Intellectual property suits can be often seen among mobile computing rivals, including suits between Microsoft and Motorola, a suit by Oracle against Google, and Apple's patent dispute with Nokia and HTC.

Models pose with the new Samsung Galaxy S Android smartphone during its launch ceremony at the headquarters of Samsung Electronics in Seoul in this June 8, 2010 file photograph. [Photo/Agencies]

Although Samsung supplies chips for a number of Apple products, Apple CEO Steve Jobs once openly mocked Samsung and other tablet makers as "copycats" during the iPad2 launch. Last month, Apple is reportedly partnering with China's Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co to make iPad chips.