In The Galaxy Tab 10.1 has become available once again in most shops in EU. This development comes after the German court lifted most of an injunction it had imposed at Apple's request. The Duesseldorf regional court has now observed that it was questionable whether its authority extended to international companies operating outside Germany, so it restricted a preliminary ban imposed last week on Samsung Electronics to Germany.
It is not as if the preliminary injunction, granted last week by the court has been lifted. It is still on place. However, now it can only to be enforced in Germany, where the ban on sale of Galaxy Tab 10.1 continues to be in place. Elsewhere in EU the injunction wont be enforced anywhere else. The temporary easing of the injunction is only linked to the issue of the jurisdiction of the court. The court will take final decision on the matter in the August 25 hearing. The injunction doesn't apply to the Netherlands, where Apple is brewing separate legal proceedings.
In lawsuits that the company has filed in USA, Germany, Australia and elsewhere, Apple has alleged that Samsung's Galaxy line of mobile phones and tablets slavishly copied the iPhone and iPad. It is clear that Apple has chosen to sue Samsung, because the Galaxy Tab line of tablet computers is considered the most credible alternative to the iPad, which continues to rule the market. The battle between Apple and Android users, like Samsung and HTC, has been raging since April this year.
At the heart of the patent related disputes is Googles Android OS. The popular mobile platform, which is being used by more than 48 percent smartphones, is relatively defenceless, as Google owns very few wireless patents, in contrast to older rivals. Google has purchased Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion primarily because it wanted to get hold of Motorolas trove of more than 17,000 telecom related patents.
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