A judge has denied a legal request by Apple to ban US sales of Samsung smartphone models that a jury said illegally used its technology.

The multi-billion pound patent trial involving the world’s biggest smartphone companies, Apple and Samsung, is about to go to a US jury in an epic struggle over the wildly popular iPhone.

Samsung faced two options to compete in the booming mobile phone market after Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone to critical acclaim in 2007 — innovate or copy, an Apple lawyer told a US court yesterday.

Bitter rival Samsung faced two options to compete in the booming mobile phone market after Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone to critical acclaim in 2007 - innovate or copy, an Apple lawyer told a US court.