Samsung wins U.K. ruling: Its tablets aren’t as ‘cool’ as Apple’s
Samsung won a court ruling against Apple on Monday, but the reason was less than stellar for the company.
A U.K. judge Monday ruled in favor of Samsung in a case involving its Galaxy Tablets and the iPad, saying the South Korean company’s products are not “cool†enough to be confused with Apple’s tablet.
Samsung’s Galaxy tablets “do not have the same understated and extreme simplicity which is possessed by the Apple design,†Judge Colin Birss said, according to Bloomberg. “They are not as cool.â€
Birss said three Galaxy tablets don’t infringe on Apple’s registered design because consumers are not likely to mix them up with the iPad, according to the report.
Though the win puts a stop to a recent string of legal woes for Samsung, the company is unlikely to boast about the reason for its victory. It did, though, provide a statement, saying Birss affirmed that the Galaxy line does not infringe on Apple’s designs.
“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,†the company said in an email statement, according to Bloomberg.
The Galaxy line of products has been faced with a tougher time across the pond, with Samsung receiving to preliminary injunctions by the American court system — one for the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and the other for the Galaxy Nexus smartphone.
As for Apple, the company also provided a statement, the same one it has been providing for most of its cases involving Samsung.
“It’s no coincidence that Samsung’s latest products look a lot like the iPhone and iPad,†Apple said in an emailed statement, according to Bloomberg. “This kind of blatant copying is wrong and, as we’ve said many times before, we need to protect Apple’s intellectual property.â€
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