UK judge: Galaxy tablets not “cool” enough to be confused with iPad

PanARMENIAN.Net - Samsung Electronics Co. won a legal ruling after a UK judge said its Galaxy tablets aren’t “cool” enough to be confused with Apple’s iPad, Bloomberg reports.

The design for three Galaxy tablets doesn’t infringe Apple’s registered design, Judge Colin Birss said on July 9 in London in a court fight between the world’s two biggest makers of smartphones. Consumers aren’t likely to get the tablet computers mixed up, he said.

Samsung asked the UK court to rule that its Galaxy tablets weren’t too similar to products created by the late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs and design chief Jonathan Ive, according to today’s judgment. Apple filed a counter-claim.

The judge found that Samsung’s products were distinctive because they were thinner and had “unusual details” on the back. He gave Apple 21 days to appeal.

Samsung said the judgment affirms its position that the Galaxy doesn’t infringe Apple’s design rights.

“Should Apple continue to make excessive legal claims in other countries based on such generic designs, innovation in the industry could be harmed and consumer choice unduly limited,” Suwon, South Korea-based Samsung said in an e-mailed statement.

Apple, based in Cupertino, California, has sought court orders in the U.S., Germany, the Netherlands and elsewhere seeking to block Samsung from selling its tablets.

Samsung has been ordered to stop selling its Galaxy Tab 10.1 in the U.S. until a patent-infringement trial can be held. An order that it also stop selling its newest Galaxy Nexus smartphone was temporarily put on hold last week while an appeals court considers Samsung’s petition to have the ban lifted.