Edible Apple

In the never ending legal back and forth between Apple and Samsung, Apple recently filed a motion in Germany asking the court to ban Samsung from selling its Galaxy Tab 10.1N tablet throughout the EU.

What’s interesting is that Apple had already secured an injunction against the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, prompting Samsung to slightly tweak the design into what is now known as the Galaxy Tab 10.1N. And while those changes were clearly done to skirt around Apple’s objections, they apparently didn’t tweak the design enough as Apple now wants it subject to an injunction as well.

According to the Down Jones, a hearing on the matter will be held before the Dusseldorf regional court on December 22. So until then, Samsung can continue on selling its updated tablet and take advantage of the busy holiday shopping season. Naturally, the injunction Apple won against the Samsung Galaxy Tab in Australia was of particular concern to Samsung as it effectively put them out of commission during the weeks leading up to Chirstmas.

Samsung and Apple have been waging a series of legal battles that began in April, when Apple sued Samsung in California, claiming the Korean firm’s smartphones and tablets had “slavishly” copied the iPhone and iPad. Apple accuses Samsung of infringing some patents related to its designs and user interface, while Samsung alleges the U.S. company violated its telecommunications technology patents.

Now, the legal spat between Samsung and Apple spans the entire globe, with legal battles taking place across 4 continents and 11 countries. Thus far, Apple has had a leg up on Samsung with injunction victories in a few countries. Meanwhile, Samsung’s efforts to ban the sale of iOS products have largely fallen flat as the patents Samsung is trying to assert against Apple are largely patents that pertain to established technological standards. As a result, these patents must be licensed out on fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory terms to everyone who seeks a license.