Skip to main content

Europe’s ban on Samsung Galaxy Tab lifted, for now

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10-1 screen angle right
Image used with permission by copyright holder

A German court has partially lifted the preliminary injunction against Samsung that prevented the South Korea-based company from legally distributing its Galaxy Tab 10.1 throughout all European Union countries, except Germany.

The ban on the Galaxy Tab was first put in place earlier this month after Apple filed an lawsuit against Samsung. The move was part of the ongoing battle between the two companies over whether Samsung unlawfully copied Apple’s design of the iPad tablet to create the Galaxy Tab, along with other similar patent disputes.

Recommended Videos

According to Dutch website Webwereld, which was first to report the news, Germany’s Dusseldorf District Court that issued the interim lift on the ban will have a formal hearing on August 25 to decide whether or not to fully reinstate the injunction.

The court’s decision to suspend the preliminary injunction comes just hours after it was revealed (also by Webwereld) that Apple may have doctored evidence submitted the court that was intended to show the similarities between the iPad and the Tab 10.1.

In its filing, Apple submitted photos that make it appear as though the iPad and Galaxay Tab 10.1 are the same size. Problem is, the iPad and Tab have entirely different sized screens with different aspect ratios (4:3 vs 16:9, respectively).

According to respected patent expert Florian Mueller, who has kept a constant finger on the pulse of Apple’s patent battles, the DUsseldorf court did not mention Apple’s potentially flawed evidence as part of its reasoning behind lifting the injunction. “Therefore, the question of whether Apple’s evidence was suitable or not has, at least in a formal sense, not played a role in this decision on a suspension,” Mueller writes on his blog.

The real reason for the ban lift, says Mueller, may be because the German court cannot impose an injunction on Samsung as a whole, as it is a South Korean corporation. Instead, it only has jurisdiction over Samsung’s German subsidiary, Both the German subsidiary and its parent company, Samsung, are mentioned in Apple’s lawsuit.

Apple has also successfully held up sales of the Galaxy Tab in Australia with claims that the company violated 10 of its patents. The Tab remains unavailable in that country.

Andrew Couts
Features Editor for Digital Trends, Andrew Couts covers a wide swath of consumer technology topics, with particular focus on…
Need a cheap tablet for school? iPad 10.2 now down to only $310
iPad 10.2-inch hero

Everyone knows that the best computer for a student returning to school is a laptop. But what if that’s no longer true? With the advancement in tablet capabilities, as well as their accessories, tablets can now do much, if not all, of the work a laptop could, at a fraction of the size and price. One of the models at the top of the heap is the Apple iPad 10.2, which is currently on sale for just $310 at Amazon, that’s $19 off the regular price of $329. It’s not a massive discount, but it’s one that should not be ignored, especially when you see what an iPad can do.

Buy Now

Read more
The robot takeover comes another step closer — at Amazon
An Amazon robot working inside one of the company's warehouses.

Amazon is close to having more robots operating inside its warehouses than humans after the e-commerce giant announced this week that it now has more than a million robots working at its facilities around the world.

Over the years, Amazon has spent billions of dollars on the development and deployment of warehouse-based robots, which handle an array of tasks once performed by human workers.

Read more
This Lenovo ThinkPad laptop is over $1,400 off — hurry while stocks last!
The Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 5 Intel laptop on a white background.

Now's an excellent time to take advantage of laptop deals from Lenovo, which has slashed the prices of a wide range of devices for its Black Friday in July sale. Lenovo's ThinkPad laptops are up to 45% off, and here's one of the most interesting offers available with such a discount — the Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 5 at $1,440 off its estimated value of $3,199, so you'll only have to pay $1,759. That's an excellent price for this fantastic productivity tool, but you're going to have to push forward with your purchase as soon as possible because stocks may run out at any moment.

BUY NOW

Read more