Update: Samsung, Apple Dispute Hearing Scheduled for Aug 25, 2011

Update: Apple successfully managed to stop sales of Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 in the whole of Europe, excluding Netherlands. Now, reports suggest that Samsung is bracing itself for a court hearing, scheduled for August 25, 2011 in a German court, which will be followed by a decision expected in the coming few weeks as to whether Samsung can sell its Galaxy Tab 10.1 in the European Union or not.

Update: In the aftermath of the injunction that was raised at the The Düsseldorf court in Germany, Samsung has responded saying that the request for the injunction itself was filed with no notice given and that - 'the order was issued without any hearing or presentation of evidence from Samsung," They went on to say that they would do whatever was necessary to ensure that their devices were made available to their customers in Europe and other parts of the world. Their statement also mentioned that they were disappointed with the court’s decision and that they fully intended to - 'defend their intellectual property rights through the ongoing legal proceedings in Germany and will continue to actively defend these rights throughout the world'.

As the battle between Apple and Samsung wages on with each side striking a hard blow to their opponent, the latest round was won by Apple. The launch of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 has been much awaited and highly anticipated by the mobile community the world over. Its Indian debut is expected to be today and while that seems inevitable, consumers in Germany and the entire European Union, except the Netherlands, who are looking forward to its arrival will be sorely disappointed.

Strike 2 for Apple

The Californian company has managed to get a preliminary injunction that has barred the Korean electronics manufacturer from selling the new tablet. It was only earlier this month that Apple managed to stop the sale of the tablet in Australia. If that wasn’t enough, Apple fully intends to make sure that even the Netherlands will fall under its grasp, omitting Samsung’s Galaxy Tab on that front too, as a lawsuit is underway for that territory as well.

To summarize, Apple seems hell bent on putting Samsung through the wringer, because the company claims that the Korean manufacturer and OEM have been copying their designs, be it of the Apple iPad or the iPhone. Samsung isn’t going to take this lying down we’re sure, as this barring-of-sales tactic will surely hamper the New Galaxy Tab’s sales figures. The question is how and when will they retaliate? Apple seems to be a couple of steps ahead, for the time being, but the battle rages on.

Stay tuned this space for more on the Apple vs Samsung front or you can check out our Buzz Section here for all the details.

Source: Agencies