Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 blocked from sale

Tab - tough times
Tab - tough times

The legal battle between Apple and Samsung saw the first real ramifications for UK gadget fans today, after a German court blocked the sale of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 across Europe.

The court has granted Apple a temporary injunction against Samsung's selling and marketing of the tablet in Europe, meaning all units must be removed from the shelves.

The judge has, for now, backed Apple's claim that Samsung 'copied' the iPad and infringed on Apple's patents.

Appeal

Samsung can appeal, but it'll be at least four weeks until that appeal to be heard. In the meantime Apple's injunction will stand

The long-awaited Honeycomb-based, Galaxy Tab 10.1 only launched in Britain last week and has proved to be the best-selling tablet since the launch of the iPad 2 in March.

Apple also has a beef with the rest of the Galaxy range, claiming the smartphones copy the look and feel of the iPhone.

An Apple spokesman said: "It's no coincidence that Samsung's latest products look a lot like the iPhone and iPad, from the shape of the hardware to the user interface and even the packaging.

"This kind of blatant copying is wrong, and we need to protect Apple's intellectual property when companies steal our ideas."

So, if you're one of the gadget fans who rushed to pick up the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 over the last week then it's entirely plausible that you might be the last

Dutch gadget fans, can still get their hands on the Tab as the injunction doesn't stand in the Netherlands.

Link: Telegraph

You can check out what you might be missing in our Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 video

Chris Smith

A technology journalist, writer and videographer of many magazines and websites including T3, Gadget Magazine and TechRadar.com. He specializes in applications for smartphones, tablets and handheld devices, with bylines also at The Guardian, WIRED, Trusted Reviews and Wareable. Chris is also the podcast host for The Liverpool Way. As well as tech and football, Chris is a pop-punk fan and enjoys the art of wrasslin'.