Look, Apple, Samsung — your fight over patents and intellectual property could affect all of Europe. Think about that, while you’re locked in battle over intellectual property rights! And now you’ve gone and upset EU regulators.

EU’s anti-trust regulators are concerned that while both companies are claiming Intellectual Property as a right to keep their patents to themselves, there are certain standards in cell phone patents that would not fall under IP, says Reuters.

The two companies are involved in a legal back-and-forth over patents spanning 10 countries and 20 cases Regulators say they just want some background info as to what is standard, but Samsung and Apple have yet to reply.

“We requested information from both Apple and Samsung. We have not yet received the answers. We need to look at this because IP rights can be used as a distortion of competition but we will need to look at the answers,” EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia told reporters.

“In particular, in the IT sector, it is obvious it is not the only case. Apple and Samsung is only one case where IP rights can be used as an instrument to restrict competition,” he said.

“Standardisation and IP rights are two instruments that in this new IT sector can be used as a tool to abuse.”

The two tech companies made headlines in September, Apple’s claims that Samsung copied their iPhone and iPad for its smartphones and Galaxy Tab resulted in an injunction preventing Samsung from exhibiting its tablet at a trade show in Germany.

EU regulators concerned over cellphone patents wars [Reuters]

Previously: Injunction forces Samsung To Pull Tablet From Trade Show

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.