Apple had sued Samsung couple of months back for blatantly copying iPhone and iPad.
German news agency dpa (via FOSS Patents) reports that a district court in Düsseldorf, Germany has granted Apple a preliminary injunction against Samsung's Android-based Galaxy Tab 10.1, barring distribution of the product in the entire European Union except for the Netherlands.
Samsung had unveiled two new Honeycomb tablets at the CTIA 2011: the Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 and the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 to compete with Apple’s iPad 2. Samsung had calling them the "world’s thinnest tablets" at just 8.6 millimeters, slightly thinner than iPad 2 at 8.8 millimeters.
In the lawsuit, Apple claimed that Samsung has not only copied the hardware shape but also the user interface and packaging from the iPhone and iPad.
FOSS Patents reports:
The leading German news agency, dpa, just reported that Apple has been granted a preliminary injunction against Samsung's Android-based Galaxy Tab 10.1, barring distribution of the product in the entire European Union except for the Netherlands. I can confirm that Apple has a separate lawsuit underway in the Netherlands as well, asserting (European) Community utility model no. 000181607-0001.
Apple alleged that the Galaxy Tab imitates the iPad and infringes on various intellectual property rights owned by Apple. Apple asked the Landgericht (district court) of Düsseldorf, Germany, to order an injunction under which Samsung is threatened with fines of up to EUR 250,000 (US$ 350,000) for each violation or imprisonment of Samsung's management for up to two years in the event of continued infringement. Those are standard sanctions under German tort law for contempt of a preliminary injunction.
FOSS Patents notes that Apple might have filed a separate lawsuit in Netherlands. Apple had also requested for a similar injunction in Australia, which had forced Samsung to delay the launch of Galaxy Tab 10.1 indefinitely. You can checkout FOSS Patents article, which provides more details.
This is a big one for Apple. It will be interesting to see how the injunction will affect Apple’s relationship with Samsung who is one of the main suppliers of A4 and A5 system-on-a-chip, LCD Displays, flash memory that is used in the iPhone, iPad and iPod product lines.
What do you think? Let us know in the comments section below.
[dpa via FOSS Patents]
Hmm I wonder if this kind of publicity will make it a more desirable tablet ?
No use being more desirable if it banned from sale
MUAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
ya !! now i want Samsung then ipad lol !! kinda interesting publicity !!
why would anyone want a copycat version when you can have the real thing? some people are just stupid.
shut up eddie-A it looks like you havent seen the galaxy tab in action even i’ve been an iphone user for years i so want a galaxy tab!!!
so go fucking get one, what’s stopping you? NADA
He cant, its not for sale anymore!
Here in the US The Galaxy tab is still for sale, and by the record eddie_A i just got one today!!!!!!! and i love it!!!!!!!!!!
You get the best interface with great design at a cheaper price.
wow, they’ll claim they invented the wheel and bare everyone to sell cars. the german court is a joke. LG should barre sell of iPhone by claiming they copied the look and feel of the LG Prada. FUCKING NIGS THEY CANT INNOVATE SO THEY SUE THE FUCK OF EVERYONE AND MAKE BIASED JUDGES RULE IN FAVOR OF THEIR NONSENSES LOL