Sales of Galaxy Tab 10.1 halted in the U.S.

The latest twist to the longstanding Apple vs Samsung lawsuit is a U.S. judge's decision that has led to the sales of Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10 being halted in the U.S. The decision, which is in line with Apple's request will deal a strong blow to the ambitions of the South Korean company in the U.S. Reportedly, Apple's earlier bid for an injunction on Samsung's tablet and smartphones had been denied by U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose, California. The federal appeals court, however, then asked Koh to "reconsider Apple's request on the tablet." The judge was quoted as saying, "Although Samsung has a right to compete, it does not have a right to compete unfairly, by flooding the market with infringing products.” She further added that the decision should come into effect once the Cupertino-brand posted a $2.6 million bond protecting against damages suffered by Samsung, "if the injunction is later found to have been wrong."

Sales banned in the U.S.

In all likelihood, Samsung will appeal to Judge Koh's ruling at a federal appeals court in Washington, DC. The report quoted Samsung as saying in a statement - "Apple sought a preliminary injunction of Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1, based on a single design patent that addressed just one aspect of the product's overall design.Should Apple continue to make legal claims based on such a generic design patent, design innovation and progress in the industry could be restricted." Reportedly, Samsung has affirmed that it would take the required legal action, and that it "did not expect the ruling to have a significant impact on its business, as it has a broad range of products. It brought out three tablet models last year alone." 

The legal limbo of Apple and Samsung over the patents continues to make headlines.Those closely following the chronology of events pertaining to the Apple vs Samsung lawsuit would know that the one time friends have been at it since a while now over the ownership of a host of unresolved patents. Earlier reports revealed that U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose, California, rejected Apple's attempts to seek a ban on some Samsung smartphones and the Galaxy 10.1 tablet. Later, the judge was asked by the appeals court to "reconsider Apple's request regarding the tablet". When Apple sought for a ban again, the judge denied it on procedural grounds stating that the appeals court "must formally cede jurisdiction back to her before she could consider it". And it is only once this happens, that Apple will be able to file for a ban request with the U.S court.

CEOs of Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics had even met later over two days in San Francisco in what essentially was a court-directed mediation, seeking to end the longstanding lawsuit, which saw the one time friends turn foes. However, the talks that lasted 2 days - nine and seven hours respectively, failed to elicit any decision. Both, Apple and Samsung, as per a series of earlier reports have locked horns over a host of patents, which each claim has been infringed by the other. At this juncture, a successful outcome of the court-directed mediation talks would have been crucial to the future of both companies. Over the course of the months, the battle between the two technology giants has intensified, with both the companies leaving no stone unturned in ensuring that their products reign supreme in the market.

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