Samsung unhappy with court’s ban on U.S. sales of Galaxy Tab 10.1
Samsung Electronics said it is disappointed with a court’s ruling that prevents the company from selling its Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet computer in the U.S. while its patent infringement lawsuit with Apple plays out.
The South Korean company said in a statement to The Times on Wednesday that it believed the preliminary injunction “will ultimately reduce the availability of superior technological features to consumers in the United States.”
Samsung said it does not expect the ruling to have a significant impact on its business operations. The company sells several tablet models that will continue to be sold in the U.S.
A district court judge in San Jose issued the court order late Tuesday, saying “the harm faced by Apple absent an injunction on the Galaxy Tab 10.1” was greater than the harm that Samsung would incur from being forced to withdraw its product from the market.
Samsung said Apple sought the preliminary injunction of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 based on a single design patent that addressed “just one aspect of the product’s overall design.”
“Should Apple continue to make legal claims based on such a generic design patent, design innovation and progress in the industry could be restricted,” Samsung said.
A spokeswoman for Apple, meanwhile, called Samsung’s actions “blatant copying.”
“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,” spokeswoman Kristin Huguet said Tuesday, reiterating Apple’s previous comment in the case. “As we’ve said many times before, we need to protect Apple’s intellectual property when companies steal our ideas.”
The trial for the main proceedings of Apple’s patent infringement lawsuit against Samsung is scheduled to begin July 30. The two companies have been accusing each other of patent infringement for months, with Apple claiming Samsung has copied the look and function of its mobile devices.
Retailers are expected to be able to sell the Galaxy Tab 10.1 until they run out of inventory.
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