It seems that meeting each other in a German court of law has become a regular occurrence for the lawyers representing Apple and the Korean electronics firm, Samsung. With the two companies still locked in disputes against each other over alleged patent infringements, it doesn’t look as if the court appearances are going to end anytime soon. The current patent cases only serves to add to the intensity of the rivalry between the two smartphone vendors as they also compete against each other to become the world’s number one smartphone manufacturer.
The latest ruling, which has taken place in a Dusseldorf appeals court has today ruled that Apple’s preliminary request to ban all sales of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 as it was originally, has been upheld by the German legal system. The ruling is also said to cover the Galaxy Tab 8.9 version and bans Samsung from selling the devices in the country due to the fact that it looks too much like the iPad which violates unfair competition laws.
Judge Wilhelm who made the decision, stated "Samsung wrongly used the enormous reputation and prestige of the iPad", but it is also worth noting that the new Galaxy Tab 10.1N model is not affected by this ruling, leading the Korean giants to admit that whilst the ruling is disappointing, it is largely irrelevant due to it only affecting the out of date original model of the tablet. In a statement which was sent electronically to the press, Samsung had this to say about the decision:
Today’s ruling is of little factual relevance due to the new model Galaxy Tab 10.1 N, and … the decision therefore is of no indicative value with respect to other legal proceedings involving the Galaxy Tab 10.1 N. Samsung will continue to take all appropriate measures, including legal action, to ensure continued consumer access to our innovative products.
The bad blood between the companies looks certain to continue when taking into the account the continuous threat of legal action mentioned in Samsung’s press statement. For those who don’t remember, the current court cases have all come off the back of an initial lawsuit, filed against Samsung last year for "slavishly" copying the iPad and iPhone design.
(via electronista)
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