The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is officially banned in Germany.
In what is surely the most tiresome, baffling and ill-welcome tech story of the summer, a German court has upheld Apple's complaints and placed a ban on all Galaxy Tab sales in Germany until further notice.
The ruling follows a temporary injunction which was placed on Samsung's German arm in August, after Apple claimed that Samsung products were intentionally designed to look like its own.
Today, judge Johanna Brückner-Hofmann in Düsseldorf sided with Apple, and agreed that 'informed customers' were of the 'overall impression' that the Galaxy Tab 10.1 was deliberately designed to look and feel like the iPad 2.
"The court is of the opinion that Apple's minimalist design is not the only technical solution to make a tablet computer," said Brückner-Hofmann at the hearing. "Other designs are possible."
The sales ban applies only to Samsung's German operation which means Samsung Germany is banned from distributing Galaxy Tab units to retailers anywhere in Europe. However, retailers in Germany who already have stock can continue to sell them.
The ruling does not have any impact on the UK or other European countries, although Apple has not yet given up on its mission to have all Samsung Galaxy products banned across the continent and in Japan.
Samsung has unsurprisingly vowed to appeal the new ruling, and a statement from the Korean firm said: "We are disappointed with this ruling and believe it severely limits consumer choice in Germany. We will take all available legal options including continuing to aggressively pursue Apple for its ongoing violation of Samsung's wireless technology patents around the world."
Tune in again soon for the next exciting episode in the Apple vs Samsung patent-off.
Link: Reuters
