Apple obtained a recent victory in an ongoing patent battle earlier this month after a German court barred the sale of Samsung’s Galaxy 10.1 tablets in Germany, according to Reuters.
A German judge ruled that the Samsung Galaxy 10.1 tablet’s design was too similar to that of the iPad. The sale of the Galaxy Tab 7.7 was also banned in Germany during the same hearing.
“It’s viable because Apple spent their own time making the iPad and that software, and for Samsung to kind of rip off of that, I think it’s their own battle,” said Sara Fenton, a junior Letters and Sciences major. “If you look at it from [Samsung’s] standpoint, they’re trying to get ahead and be on top of the same technology, [but] taking [Apple’s] form of the iPad is kind of infringement in a way.”
German retailers can still sell any Samsung tablets that are in stock. They may also get new products from Samsung International, the South Korean group’s parent company, since the injunction was specifically filed against Samsung Germany.
Apple and Samsung have been at legal war since April, when Apple filed a lawsuit against Samsung claiming that they had copied designs of both their smartphones and tablets.
Samsung filed its own suit against Apple in Seoul regarding patent infringements. Additionally, the company requested a ban on the sale of Apple products in South Korea.
The Samsung Galaxy product line presents Apple’s iPads with some of its toughest competition in the mobile device market.
“Apple is number one when it comes to how satisfied their customers are because their products are really well made and they’re really user friendly. I don’t have a really strong reaction to it but I guess it just kind of sucks for Samsung,” said junior Computer Science major Bryce Davis.
Samsung plans to appeal the German court’s decision.
In July, Samsung filed a complaint in France against Apple regarding three mobile phone technology patents. The first hearing is expected to occur in December. The two companies are also embroiled in legal battles in Asia, Australia and the United States.