A U.K. judge has ordered Apple to advertise on its website and in British newspapers that the “not cool enough” Samsung Galaxy Tab did not copy the design of the iPad.
Bloomberg reports:
Apple Inc. (AAPL) was ordered by a judge to publish a notice on its U.K. website and in British newspapers alerting people to a ruling that Samsung Electronics Co. didn’t copy designs for the iPad.
The notice should outline the July 9 London court decision that Samsung’s Galaxy tablets don’t infringe Apple’s registered designs, Judge Colin Birss said today. It should be posted on Apple’s U.K. home page for six months and published in several newspapers and magazines to correct any impression the South Korea-based company was copying Apple’s product, Birss said.
The same judge stated in a ruling earlier this month that the Galaxy Tab is unlikely to be mistaken for an iPad because it’s “not cool enough.” Apple’s lawyers argued to no avail that mentioning Samsung on Apple’s official website would amount to an advertisement for the rival device maker.
Judge Briss had determined the Samsung’s product are distinctive from Apple’s. He said they are thinner, and have “unusual details” on the back.
It’s likely that Apple can (and in our opinion, should) appeal the decision. And you can bet the farm that they will.
