bassethound
01-12-11, 12:23
Samsung has today won a significant victory in its patent battle with Apple, after an Australian court opted to overturn a ban on the sale of its flagship Galaxy tablet in the country.
Last month, Apple won an injunction preventing sales of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Australia, accusing Samsung's tablet of copying its touchscreen technology.
Samsung subsequently modified the tablet, leading to an Australian federal court unanimously agreeing to overturn the sales ban in time for the key Christmas shopping season in Australia.
"Samsung Electronics Australia is pleased with today's unanimous decision by the Federal Court to lift the preliminary injunction on sales of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1," the company said in a statement.
"We believe the ruling clearly affirms that Apple's legal claims lack merit."
Samsung will not be able to start selling the tablet immediately, as Justice Lindsay Foster granted a stay on the order until December 2, at 4pm local time (5am GMT).
Apple now has the right to appeal the verdict at the country's high court if it wants to try and extend the ban. The firm has not indicated as yet whether it will pursue that avenue.
The Australia case is one of the most high-profile in an ongoing legal battle between Apple and Samsung, with both accusing the other of infringing their technology patents.
Legal cases have been filed in various countries and Apple has also secured a ban on Galaxy Tab 10.1 sales in Germany, although Samsung has since launched a modified version of the product.
Samsung has also applied for a ban on sales of Apple's new iPhone 4S smartphone in Australia, Japan, France and Italy, after accusing Apple of copying its 3G technology.
Despite winning the court verdict in Australia, analysts remain doubtful that Samsung's tablet products will be able to challenge Apple's market-leading iPads.
Song Myung-sub, an analyst at HI Investment & Securities in Seoul, told Reuters: "It's hard to expect the ruling to have a major positive impact on Samsung's tablet business or legal cases in other countries as Apple could appeal... and sales won't be restored anytime soon.
"Apple will continue to dominate the tablet market as Amazon (with the new Kindle Fire tablet) appears to be the only viable threat at the moment and other vendors, including Samsung, continue to struggle."
Last month, Apple won an injunction preventing sales of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Australia, accusing Samsung's tablet of copying its touchscreen technology.
Samsung subsequently modified the tablet, leading to an Australian federal court unanimously agreeing to overturn the sales ban in time for the key Christmas shopping season in Australia.
"Samsung Electronics Australia is pleased with today's unanimous decision by the Federal Court to lift the preliminary injunction on sales of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1," the company said in a statement.
"We believe the ruling clearly affirms that Apple's legal claims lack merit."
Samsung will not be able to start selling the tablet immediately, as Justice Lindsay Foster granted a stay on the order until December 2, at 4pm local time (5am GMT).
Apple now has the right to appeal the verdict at the country's high court if it wants to try and extend the ban. The firm has not indicated as yet whether it will pursue that avenue.
The Australia case is one of the most high-profile in an ongoing legal battle between Apple and Samsung, with both accusing the other of infringing their technology patents.
Legal cases have been filed in various countries and Apple has also secured a ban on Galaxy Tab 10.1 sales in Germany, although Samsung has since launched a modified version of the product.
Samsung has also applied for a ban on sales of Apple's new iPhone 4S smartphone in Australia, Japan, France and Italy, after accusing Apple of copying its 3G technology.
Despite winning the court verdict in Australia, analysts remain doubtful that Samsung's tablet products will be able to challenge Apple's market-leading iPads.
Song Myung-sub, an analyst at HI Investment & Securities in Seoul, told Reuters: "It's hard to expect the ruling to have a major positive impact on Samsung's tablet business or legal cases in other countries as Apple could appeal... and sales won't be restored anytime soon.
"Apple will continue to dominate the tablet market as Amazon (with the new Kindle Fire tablet) appears to be the only viable threat at the moment and other vendors, including Samsung, continue to struggle."