In A district court in Dusseldorf, Germany has temporarily barred Samsung from selling its flagship Galaxy tablet in 26 countries that belong to the European Union, except the Netherlands. Certain laws in the Netherlands differ from those in the other nations, but Apple has filed a separate lawsuit in courts there. According to analysts, while the decision cab be reversed, the ban on sales of the Galaxy Tab could last more than a year.
The ban imposed by the German court is in regards to only the Samsung tablet with a 10.1-inch touchscreen. The various 7-inch versions can continue to sell in the EU countries. However, the Apple CEO, Steve Jobs, has in the past been contemptuous of 7-inch tablets, calling them tweeners. He said, We think the 10-inch screen size is the minimum screen size required to make great tablet apps.
It was in April this year that Apple had filed a lawsuit against Samsung in a California court. In the lawsuit Apple had alleged that the South Korean manufacturer infringed on its patents and slavishly copied its designs. Since then the two major tech companies have been engaged in legal battles in various courts around the world. There have been filings in various Asian and European countries, as well as the International Trade Commission.
Apple had requested a similar injunction against Samsung in an Australia federal court a week ago. As a result of the lawsuit, Samsung was forced to postpone the launch of its Galaxy Tab 10.1 there. In a statement, Samsung has said, A Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 for the Australian market will be released in the near future. Samsung will continue to actively defend and protect our intellectual property to ensure our continued innovation and growth in the mobile communication business.
The intensifying quarrel between the two major tech companies has triggered expectations some of the pairs $5 billion-plus relationship may be up for grabs. Samsung counts Apple as its biggest customer, making chips and other parts central to Apples mobile devices.
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