The lawsuit between Apple and Samsun may be heating up even more after yesterdays pre-trial ruling that Samsung can’t sell their Galaxy Nexus phone in the United States until after the legal proceedings have concluded. Sales of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 have also been blocked recently.

Apple was ordered to post a more than $95 billion dollar bond to insure payment of damages to Samsung if the injunction is later found to be a wrong decision. When the bond is posted, the order becomes effective.

Apple and Samsung are the worlds largest makers of consumer electronics. The legal war spreads over many countries and has been going on since 2010. Each company accuses the other of patent violations by copying the designs and technology for their mobile devices.

The global smartphone market is a $219 billion dollar industry. Currently, Apple has about 24 percent of the market and Samsung carries about 29 percent. That’s a whole lot phones, people!

Google’s Android system is the worlds most used mobile operating platform. It appears Apple wants to limit the growth of the Android system. Their opponents maintain that Apple is using their patents too aggressively in an effort to get rid of their competition.

Apple maintains that it is not a coincidence that Samsung’s latest products have the look and feel of the iPhone and iPad. They feel they have a right to protect their intellectual property against ‘blatant copying’.

Samsung is disappointed with the courts latest rulings and feels it will restrict the US consumers choice when buying electronics. They have stated they will do everything they can to ensure that the Galaxy Nexus remains available to consumers, even if it means going to court.

Winning an injunction against your largest competitor is a huge deal, but it’s not all cut and dried. Samsung can, and most likely will, appeal the injunction. So it’s safe to assume that the injunction could even be lifted temporarily pending the appeal.

Now for the twist on the whole deal that I found interesting. Apple actually buys parts from Samsung! They are their biggest buyer of screens and chips. Data compiled by Bloomberg puts almost 8% of Samsungs revenue coming from selling parts to Apple.

I guess my big question is: what does this mean down the road for you and I, the consumer? Will we still be able to buy smartphones and tablets at a reasonable price? All the money and time spent on court cases has got to be piling up and it’s going to have to be recouped somewhere. I guess only time will tell.