Photo by PARK JI HWAN/AFP/Getty Images Good news for people who hate competitive markets today as Apple persuaded a judge to order a halt to sales of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 in the United States pending some patent litigation.
In the meantime, the US District Court of the Northern District of California will continue to inspect Apple’s patents and compare them to Samsung’s products, according to the Associated Press.
Kristin Huguet, a spokesperson for Apple, released a post trial statement arguing that it’s “no coincidence that Samsung’s latest products look a lot like the iPhone and iPad” and that Samsung’s recent gadgets reflect “blatant copying” of Apple product concepts.
Samsung is barred from selling the device in the US because the judge agreed with Apples arguments in court that Samsung "slavishly" copied iPhone and iPad designs to create its competing Android devices – Galaxy S smartphones and Galaxy Tab tablets.
Apple might win outright and have Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 sales blocked in the USA for good.
Both have been built to serve as work- and entertainment friendly helpers as well as laptop rivals, and it doesn’t help that they’re almost the exact same shape and size (the iPad has a 9.7 inch screen, while the Galaxy Tab’s comes out at 10.1 inches).
Samsung argues that this injunction would harm their relationships with wireless carriers and distributors that sell the Galaxy Tab 10.1.
Apple argues that “the design and appearance of Samsung’s forthcoming products and packaging are directly relevant to Apple’s trademark, trade dress, and design claims,” court documents say.
By comparison, tablets like the Kindle Fire and the Nexus 7, which both cost $199, still tend to fall under the eReaders category.
Judge Koh ordered Apple to post a $2,600,000 bond “to secure payment of any damages sustained by defendant if it is later found to have been wrongfully enjoined.
Judge Koh is also expected to make a ruling on another preliminary injunction against the Galaxy Nexus related to a second US patent infringement suit Apple filed against the company earlier this year.
Saroo Buffett is a business journalist based in Mumbai, India. Saroo has a passion for financial markets and breaking news stories and loves writing about business news, stock market, and economic opinions that matters most to its audience. Saroo spends a lot of time discovering and researching latest financial markets and industry news stories in order to make sure the latest and greatest stories are brought to you first on BigBoardNews.com.
