After hitting Apple with a slew of patent infringement claims over the iPhone 5 this week, Samsung has been awarded some good news on its banned Galaxy Tab 10.1. Judge Lucy Koh, who has been overseeing the whole Apple vs Samsung saga, has lifted the preliminary injunction on the Tab.
Back in June Judge Koh awarded Apple a preliminary injunction against Samsung which would prevent the sales of its original Galaxy Tab 10.1 device in the United States. Apple had claimed that Samsung copied elements of its iPad design, and therefore the product should be blocked from sale.
After initially awarding the injunction, the nine person jury concluded that Samsung’s Galaxy Tab didn’t infringe on a single one of Apple’s patents. The jury did still rule that Samsung infringed upon some of Apple’s utility patents, but that won’t stop the tablet going back on sale for now.
Apple wanted the device to remain banned until all legal proceedings were finished, but ahead of schedule Judge Koh has now lifted the injunction. It’s likely to be too little, too late, as Samsung has since redesigned the tablet and re-launched it as the Galaxy Tab 10.1N, along with a second generation version of the tablet.
Nevertheless, the Korean manufacturer is expected to be awarded some of, if not all, of the $2.6 million bond set at the start of the trial. It’s a comparatively small figure compared to the whopping $1.05 billion that Apple was awarded after winning the case, but we’re sure Samsung won’t complain.
Apple is currently awaiting a further hearing which is scheduled for December 6th, where Judge Koh may decide to triple the already eye-watering $1.05 billion awarded to them.
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