Even as the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1N can be sold in Germany, a sales ban for the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 may be expanded to include the rest of the EU. According to a court in Germany, the current ban for the smaller tablet offering of Samsung should be extended to cover the rest of Europe even as sales of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1N can still continue.
The ban on the sale of the Samsung Galaxy Tan 7.7 in Germany was implemented in September 2011 and a recent ruling of the Dusseldorf Higher Regional Court indicated that the ban should include all of the 27 member states in the EU.
The reason for the ban on the sale of the Samsung Galaxy Tab7.7 is the product reportedly infringed on a number of patents owned by Apple since 2004.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7
The court ruling disappointed the South Korean manufacturer even as it indicated that it will use methods such as legal actions to protect its intellectual property rights.
On the other hand Apple is seeking for an injunction against the bigger Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1N, which was a redesigned model of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. However the German court indicated that the changes on the design were significant enough to allow it to be different from the older model of the device, which means that the sales ban is no longer applicable.
The ruling follows an earlier victory of Samsung in the UK that indicated that the Samsung Galaxy Tab were not cool enough to infringe on the design of the iPad. This resulted to an advertisement placed by Apple in British newspapers and on its UK website that indicated that Samsung did not copy the products of Apple.
However if the ban will be expanded to the rest of the EU, it may come into conflict with the ruling in the UK since it covers all Samsung Galaxy Tab products, which includes the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7.
According to Samsung the ruling on the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1N substantiates its position that the product does not infringe on the intellectual property of Apple and the laws on unfair competition. Apple did not release any statements in connection to the ruling.
