The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is a thin and light tablet Google’s Android operating system. It looks an awful lot like the Apple iPad 2, although there are some fundamental differences between the way Android and iOS work. But it’s apparently enough like an iPad for a German court to issue a preliminary injunction that will prevent Samsung from selling the tablet in most European Union countries.

Samsung Galaxy Tab

Apple had filed a lawsuit against Samsung, claiming that the company’s tablet design infringes on Apple’s intellectual property. The court order will at least temporarily prohibit Samsung from selling its tablet in all EU countries except for the Netherlands, although Florian Mueller reports that Apple has filed a separate suit in that country. He suggests that while today’s ruling will take effect immediately in Germany, it could take further action before the ban on Galaxy Tab 10.1 sales expands to other countries.

Just last week an Australian court had issued a similar injunction against Samsung.

These aren’t final rulings. But they do prevent Samsung from selling its tablet while the court cases proceed… and it could be a while before this sort of case works its way through the legal system. Samsung could also appeal, but today’s probably not a good day to be working on Samsung’s tablet division… or Google’s for that matter.

Update: As expected, Samsung plans to fight back.

Update 2: Unsurprisingly, Samsung isn’t the only company Apple is suing in Europe.

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6 replies on “Court blocks Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 sales in most of European Union”

  1. I don’t like that Apple is suing Samusung.  But, I don’t think anyone can deny that the Tab looks like an Apple design.  Also don’t forget that the Tab 10.1 looked very different before the iPad 2 was shown and then after the iPad 2 was shown Samsung pulled their original design and came out with the Tab we see today.  Samsung even made statements saying that after seeing the iPad 2 they needed to go back to the drawing board for the Tab’s design.  I wouldn’t doubt that the Tab was designed specifically to copy Apple’s look and feel.

  2. The fact Apple fooled a German court into this action just makes me shake my head a little.  I hope Samsung fights back.

  3. Makes sense to me.  Even if I’m not a fan of Apple most times, it’s pretty clear that Samsung blatantly copied the style of the iPod 2 in their Galaxy Tab 10.1 design with the same the same rounded edges, same silver border, etc.  The two products look virtually identical when turned off.

    1. Check the dimensions then your virtual identical theroy is out the window.  So now I guess every product with round edges needs to be ban?

      This things smells of rotten dying fruit and a judge being paid off.

  4. It is obvious this court is blind, or has been paid off but the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is a different tablet and better tablet than that apple thing.  apple is scared of Samsung and this is why they are doing this.

    I think I will contact my friends in the EU and let them know if they should want a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, I will send it to them.

    Samsung will prevail in the long run.

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