With hardly a day left for Apple to unveil their latest iPhone5, it is already facing a threat of potentially being banned for sales in the US.

Taiwan based company HTC and Korean company Samsung Electronics has accused Apple of infringing their fourth-generation (4G) long-term evolution (LTE) connectivity patent. LTE is a wireless broadband technology for high-speed data, it basically speeds up Internet usage and allows faster downloads.

Both the companies have made it clear that they will be challenging Apple in the court of law for patent infringement.

"It's true that Samsung Electronics has decided to take immediate legal action against the Cupertino-based Apple. Countries in Europe and even the United States ― Apple's home-turf ― are our primary targets." a Samsung representative told the Korean Times.

Apple has not introduced a 4G phone yet, but is using LTE connectivity for their latest iPad that was released in March this year. If Apple loses this patent war, it will not only affect iPhone 5 import in to the US but also iPad3.

Bloomberg reports International Trade Commission Judge Thomas Pender stating that "clear and convincing means something to me", further adding, "I have to be pretty darn certain a U.S. patent is invalid."

HTC was one of the initial companies to acquire LTE patents in April 2011 and introduced their first LTE connectivity phone, the HTC Thunderbolt. HTC and Apple have been in a lawsuit tiff for about three years now. Back in 2010 Apple sued HTC for violating two of Apple's patents. In July 2012, HTC won the patent war in the UK, when High-Court judge ruled that Taiwanese smartphone company has not infringed four of patents held by Apple in Europe.

There is no denying that in today's world smartphones cannot do without LTE connectivity, and in all possibilities iPhone 5 will be LTE enabled phone. But we will not know it for sure until tomorrow now would we?

All we can do is sit back and watch smartphone companies battle for their technological advancements, while we as users can sit back and enjoy the best product out there, irrespective of who copied who.