Apple Granted Injunction to Block Samsung Tablet Sales in Europe

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Apple has been granted a preliminary junction against Samsung, ruling that Samsung’s 10.1-inch “Galaxy Tab” Android tablet be pulled from store shelves “across all of Europe and except the Netherlands,” reports the Telegraph.

The injunction was granted by a judge in Germany, yet is enforceable elsewhere since it’s “possible to apply for a pan-European injunction in any country which, if upheld, covers all of the EU,” per the Telegraph. 

Samsung will be able to appeal the judge’s decision but until then, the 10.1-inch Galaxy Tab has been pulled from stores due to patent infringement against the iPad 2.

You may recall back in April that Apple sued Samsung, alleging that Samsung had stolen Apple’s icon design for its line of “Galaxy” Android phones. Samsung returned the favor by promptly suing Apple, saying that Apple had violated 10 of its mobile technology patents.

(MORE: Apple Sues Samsung, Samsung Vows to Counter (Icon Fight))

This most recent tablet-based legal skirmish between Apple and Samsung found a similar case in Australia last week where the “launch of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 was delayed indefinitely,” according to the Telegraph.

An Apple spokesperson said, “It’s no coincidence that Samsung’s latest products look a lot like the iPhone and iPad, from the shape of the hardware to the user interface and even the packaging. This kind of blatant copying is wrong, and we need to protect Apple’s intellectual property when companies steal our ideas.” Samsung has yet to comment.

You can be the judge for yourself. Here’s the iPad 2:

And here’s the Galaxy Tab 10.1:

Patent news blog Foss Patents is also reporting, “Apple has a separate lawsuit underway in the Netherlands as well… There are differences in competition law between Germany and the Netherlands, which is why Apple filed separate lawsuits.”

LIST: Tablets: ‘Why Should Somebody Buy This Instead of an iPad?’