Apple Blocks Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 In Germany

SEOUL (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics Co has stopped promoting its new tablet computer at Europe's biggest consumer electronics fair after a court-ordered sales injunction in Germany, the latest setback in its global patent battle with Apple Inc.

A Dusseldorf court ordered the South Korean company to stop selling Galaxy Tab 7.7 on Friday when the annual IFA electronics show started in Berlin. The move follows an earlier ban on German sales of Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 by the court in late August until its final ruling on September 9.

The Galaxy Tab 7.7 is the latest addition to Samsung's range of Galaxy products. It was first unveiled at the show along with 5.3-inch Galaxy Note, which Samsung hopes to create a new product category with and fill the gap between smartphones and tablets.

"The product is not on sale yet but we've decided to respect the court order," Samsung spokesman James Chung said.

Samsung and Apple have been locked in acrimonious battle over smartphones and tablets patents since April as Apple seeks to rein in the growth of Google's Android phones by taking directly aim at the biggest Android vendor, Samsung.

Apple has argued that Samsung had infringed on its patents and the Galaxy line of smartphones and tablets "slavishly" copied its design, look and feel. It is fighting legal battles in the United States as well as Europe, South Korea and Australia.

The battle forced Samsung to delay its tablet sales in Australia twice.

Samsung has counter-sued, arguing Apple infringed its wireless patents.

The Galaxy Tab 7.7 is powered by a dual 1.2 GHz processor and uses a 7.7-inch super-bright active matrix organic light emitting diode (AMOLED) screen.

(Reporting by Miyoung Kim; Editing by Lincoln Feast)

Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters. Click for Restrictions

Comments

[brievolz84]

03:38 AM on 09/08/2011

I'm sorry, I like the android platform because they don't restrict you on how you use your phone. I have some advanced knowledge on how to mess around with these devices and I like the fact that I can do that without having Google sew me for tampering with their OS architecture/code.

Hate to have to say this people but Apple is good for people who don't understand how technology works i.e. the ignorant! I bet most of them don't even know that OS X is based off of a UNIX operating system called OpenBSD (very similar to Linux). Here's the kicker, Linux and UNIX are both free to use. Just install OpenBSD and a window environment (gnome or KDE) and bam there's OS X!

What next, will Apple sue all the people that use OpenBSD? Whatever happened to an open playing field where competition is good?

[US Patriot Joe]

11:36 PM on 09/07/2011

This Apple flexing it's muscles and basically using petty technicalities to push an Obviously better product out of the picture. this also shows they are scared and in doing so proves beyond a doubt the " Galaxy " is the better product. This was done in the Auto industry many years ago when Tucker came out with a better car then the " Big 3 ". They all colluded together to put him out of business. Shame on you Apple! just remember what goes around comes around, you will get your feelings and your pockets hurt no matter what you try to do. Get over it. Apple needs to Man up and realize they are not the only ones who can do what they do and some can do it better, Sorry Apple learn to take your medicine like everyone else does and stop whining.

[Andre Fabre]

07:19 PM on 09/08/2011

But Apple can't. They've learned from the very best; Micro$oft!

[Sardar Mohkim Khan]

04:00 AM on 09/07/2011

That's the worst that could happen to Samsung - but seriously, having your product killed and the newer, better product replacing the pullout of the current is even more saddening.

I guess we will never truly understand the Patent Wars and who gets what. Maybe George Lucas can make a series on this??

[Lordcron]

02:24 AM on 09/07/2011

apple's gutting its own reputation. I'm old enough to remember how they started and how bullish they were on product but always wanted that good Guy image. The "We'll win you over with our product rather then bully our way to success". Now they look like the company who's successful by bullying other companies. I don't recognize the Apple of today.

I'll be getting the Galexy note when that ships.

[Ted Bouklos]

04:15 PM on 09/06/2011

Apple stole the iPad from Stanley Kubrick

http://obamapacman.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/2001-Space-Odyssey-tablet-TV.jpg

[JohnTheMac]

08:55 AM on 09/07/2011

those never left the table. For all we know, they were built into the table, since they would float in space.

[Ted Bouklos]

11:42 AM on 09/07/2011

nope
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--vukhP43rtY/TlT1x_AHH2I/AAAAAAAACBk/Z_guEkzR5kU/s1600/2001_iPad2.jpg

[opmik75]

03:24 PM on 09/06/2011

I like Apple products but their patents claim is...patently baseless. Many tech developers, especially Microsoft, have been developing tablet technology for years. Although none of it may taken off like the iPad, patents were still acquired for that tech. The idea of tablet technology has also have been featured in sci-fi movies or television shows long before the iPad ever came along. Plus, consumers know the difference between an iPad and Samsung Galaxy Tab. That is a material fact that judges should be considering.

[CaptainObvvious]

03:58 PM on 09/06/2011

Without commenting on the validity of their claim I can say that you seem to be looking at it wrong.

They aren't claiming they invented the tablet they are basically saying that they decided to develop a car knowing that cars already existed, then they made a Mustang and now that its popular other car companies are making cars that look like their Mustang.

Are they right? The court will decide but its important to see what their actual complaint is.

[opmik75]

06:25 PM on 09/06/2011

Using that analogy, I would say while Apple made a Mustang Samsung made a Camaro. They are both cars - they are both MUSCLE cars even - yet Samsung made a car that is clearly not a Mustang.

[Natedc]

11:40 PM on 09/06/2011

So far no court has agreed with you, the sole claim of Apple's that has been upheld is a patent on a method of browsing through photos. All claims of similar appearance have been dismissed by a judge on the spot. Of the dozens of patents Apple cited the judge summarily rejected ALL but one. It's an obvious case of gaming the legal system to damage a competitor.

[pbr56]

12:38 PM on 09/06/2011

They are abusing the patent process with things that have nothing to do with new ideas. Just look and feel.

[haimchaim]

12:07 PM on 09/06/2011

if they are able to stop a competitor like Samsung .. the more power to them .. take care of financial matters Apple .. stay on top of the heap .

[purplemonkeydishwasher]

06:25 PM on 09/06/2011

Yeah! NO MORE COMPETITION! Do what it takes, Apple, even if that requires abusing international IP laws and the Constitutional rights of private citizens!

[Ichigo Kurosaki]

11:41 AM on 09/06/2011

Apple has become Microsoft. They have become that which they once despised. I haven't bought an Apple product in a decade, and these bullying actions have convinced me to never buy another one ever again.

[Byron Tice]

10:51 AM on 09/06/2011

Typical Apple. If you can't beat em, sue em. We've been down the look and feel road with these guys before and they ended up getting their butts whipped when all the stuff they claimed to be theirs actually was invented and made public domain by Xerox. I've a lot of experience with patent trolls and their real goal is to extort money or to hobble competition.

[CaptainObvvious]

01:46 PM on 09/06/2011

Well Apple is soundly beating Samsung in both smartphone and tablets... So I am pretty sure your "Can't beat em, sue em" line there doesn't hold true.

[Byron Tice]

02:11 PM on 09/06/2011

Then why are they suing them?

[dave elliott]

10:07 AM on 09/06/2011

all i can say is thank god for hacks that write programs that make all media readable on just about any device. monopolies are illegal in the u.s.

[CaptainObvvious]

09:17 AM on 09/06/2011

So do you people think that intellectual property shouldn't exist?

If they want to use Apple's patents then they should pay like Apple does when they use the patents of other companies.

You shouldn't have free use of other people's patents just because you want to.

Are these devices too similar? That is for the courts to decide and there is obviously more to this case than looking at pictures and saying "The don't look alike"

[jgeurian21]

09:52 AM on 09/06/2011

Wow, bud you seem awful worked up over a cell phone.

[inguatu]

10:37 AM on 09/06/2011

he's captainDo00che. He's all fanboi buthurt when people talk bad about Apple and its dying leader $teve Job$.

[J0E1]

01:32 PM on 09/06/2011

There are fanbois and then there is CaptainObvvious.. king of them all.

[stcrispy]

01:08 PM on 09/06/2011

Yes, patents and copyright should either be reigned in severely or not exist at all. You can't own an idea. I've watched as copyright infringement has moved from a civil restriction on cutting into someone's business, to a crime that involves more prison time than rape.

I get requests from people all the time to use my music at their wedding. They think they need my permission and don't want to be sued.

The purpose of copyright and patent is to "promote the progress of science and the useful arts..." by securing patents and copyrights. The problem is they don't. The steam engine remained essentially unsafe and unimproved for 35 years because of patent law. Apple, instead of engineering a better product, is trying to keep Samsung from coming up with an improvement on their design - and we the people will pay more for products that may or may not be as good, because the government has granted a monopoly on an idea, that may or may not be obvious.

The tablet can be seen in science fiction movies from the 1930s. Dick Tracy's "wristwatch TV" was standard fare in the 50s and 60s. It's not a new idea. Why does Apple deserve a monopoly on an idea a science fiction author came up with 70 years ago? Tablets, cell phones, computers and the software they use should all be *long* in the public domain.

Patents stifle innovation, they don't promote it.

[CaptainObvvious]

08:53 AM on 09/06/2011

Look up the facts... More companies are suing Apple than Apple is suing.

Every company Apple is suing is also suing them.

Every Android manufacturer is suing some other manufacturer or company for patent infringement.

This isn't an Apple problem or something they perpetrate more than other companies they are just the ones getting the most press.

Everyone company out there is trying to come to market with something like the iPad that is priced like the iPad so they can take some of the MARKET that Apple created. There were plenty of tablets before but there was no REAL market for it... Now there is and as a result of the iPad being released everyone is chasing their coattails.

When you come to market as a result of the iPad, trying to make a product as close to the iPad as possible without violating patents then chances are they will wind up violating a patent...

[JosephTX]

09:23 AM on 09/06/2011

You just showed why your entire post is pointless. You acknowledged that the iPad isn't the first tablet PC (if something that can't even run flash can be called a PC), so what "coattails" are there to chase? Once iFanboys and iMedia all put tablets in the spotlight, OF COURSE manufacturers are going to advertise their own tablets. Pretty sound business advice you have there: Stop selling something once demand for it increases.

[CaptainObvvious]

09:39 AM on 09/06/2011

Give me a break. None of these tablets that are on the market today were anything like the iPad before the iPad was released.

These companies weren't cranking out tablets before the iPad was released. It wasn't until the iPad saw massive popularity that they all jumped in hardcore to try and capitalize on their success.

That is how they are chasing their coattails. the Xoom, Galaxy Tab, etc... Would NOT exist at all and even if they did wouldn't be anything close to what we see now if the iPad wasn't released.

It takes a lot of work to twist history to make it look like they aren't chasing Apple's coattails. They certainly all are.

[jgeurian21]

09:54 AM on 09/06/2011

iPad market share dropped by double digits with some weak Android competition.

"The iPad’s share of the market dropped from 96% to 75% in the fourth quarter last year"

http://www.bgr.com/2011/01/31/android-tablets-finally-dent-ipad-market-share/

[CaptainObvvious]

10:03 AM on 09/06/2011

Today Android accounts for 20% of the market with Apple owning almost 80%... These numbers are also based on SHIPMENTS and not actually on sales... As we all know Android shipments don't equal or even come anywhere close to sales.

[CaptainObvvious]

08:48 AM on 09/06/2011

Apple is sick of companies seeing what they produce then coming to market with similar hardware and software in response.

It wasn't until the iPhone was released that the entire smartphone industry followed suit... It wasn't until the iPad was released that the entire industry jumped into the tablet market too...

The question on the minds of these companies has been "How do we capitalize on this craze that Apple started and how do we change it just enough to not get sued."

The only reason Samsung is in the tablet market like it is today is BECAUSE of the iPad. There is no disputing that.

[JosephTX]

09:18 AM on 09/06/2011

Tablet PC's have been made long before the iPad showed up. The only thing that PC manufacturers did any differently was use Android OS instead of a non-touch-friendly Windows OS and then market them once everyone started paying attention. Believe it or not, Apple didn't come up with the innovative rectangular screen.

[CaptainObvvious]

09:23 AM on 09/06/2011

So you're saying it is a complete and total coincidence that every tech company on the planet started cranking out tablets right after the iPad was released?

Tablets certainly existed before the iPad but the market was tiny and not mainstream... Then Apple released the iPad and everyone followed suit... That is a fact... I don't care that tablets EXISTED before the iPad but the iPad lead the way into the current tablet market.

[JohnTheMac]

09:02 AM on 09/07/2011

So why weren't there Android tablets years before the iPad?

[inguatu]

10:33 AM on 09/06/2011

Apple is sick of having to compete with Android. Samsung is the closest competitor so they are going after them. The devices look NOTHING alike, nor does the OS. If anything, iOS5 has copied Android.

Who cares who started the tablet craze first (btw, it wasn't Apple). There is enough money to be made, regardless of what company comes out with a tablet. Apple is just sore because they can't innovate anymore and are relying on patent trolling and lawsuits to float them until they come up with another bright idea. Meanwhile their lord is steadily dying at home.

[CaptainObvvious]

12:36 PM on 09/06/2011

Who did start the current tablet mania then? What company and what product? I am sure (if you even bother to respond) you will come back with some obscure device nobody has ever heard of.

When you release a phone and EVERYONE tries to copy it and then release a tablet and EVERYONE tries to copy it... Yes that is innovating.

Its funny you say iOS copies Android when the OS as it exists today wouldn't exist if it weren't for Apple... Laughable.

[CaptainObvvious]

08:46 AM on 09/06/2011

Android wouldn't exist as it does today if it weren't for Apple leading the way.

Android was more akin to Blackberry before the iPhone came out then they changed gears. It isn't a coincidence that 6 months after the iPhone was released that the market was flooded with full touchscreen phones with multi touch...

Nor is it a coincidence that right after the iPad was released the market was flooded with similar tablets...

Everyone has been chasing Apple's coattails... You say Apple can't innovate but the fact is that Android has been piggybacking Apple since the iPhone was released.

That is a fact.

[dave elliott]

09:38 AM on 09/06/2011

you have absolutely zero point, regardless of what apple does other manufacturers have the right to produce. it is like you being the inventor of the cookie, but they didn't sell very well, keebler came along with a cookie but it tasted better and started selling well, why wouldn't the cookie inventor take his original idea that was copied and turn around and make his cookies taste good too? your points are so moot even a caveman can understand that.

[CaptainObvvious]

09:59 AM on 09/06/2011

Fact: Apple released the iPhone then every manufacturer released phones that closely copied it.

Fact: Apple released the iPad and they did the same.

No other way to twist that... It wasn't until Apple took off that the devices we see in the market today were manufactured.

[inguatu]

10:34 AM on 09/06/2011

iOS wouldn't exist today if other companies hadn't paved the way. Your singular point of failure, Apple, is pretty sad.

[CaptainObvvious]

12:33 PM on 09/06/2011

No tech would exist today if it weren't for previous generations of tech... That is true of tech and any other industry in the world. Everything is built on the knowledge and innovation of previous generation. Every visionary and every industry that ever existed exist because they stand on the shoulders of giants.

However it is a FACT that every current gen full touch screen phone and tablet that exists today can be DIRECTLY tied to the iPhone and iPad.

Did Apple INVENT everything that went into the iPhone... NO... Did everyone and their Mom come out of the woodwork with copies... YES...

Did they INVENT the tablet? No... Did every manufacturer suddenly dive headfirst into the tablet market with devices very similar to the iPad? YES...