Australia has made the injunction against Samsung Galaxy Tab sales official, meaning they will not be available in stores for the holiday season.
Samsung’s plan was to have the tablet available in the region late this year, but those plans came to a screeching halt when Apple filed a lawsuit to prevent the device from ever going on sale.
Apple pointed to several mobile patents it owns, and claimed the Galaxy Tab violated those intellectual property claims. But Samsung filed a countersuit, saying Apple actually violated its patents.
“Our wireless standard patents are essential for mobile business. We will continue to legally assert our intellectual property rights against those who violate Samsung’s patents and free ride on our technology,” said Samsung in a statement.
Nevertheless, the court has given a big advantage to Apple, officially signing off on the company’s request for a Galaxy Tab sales injunction in Australia.
So the country now joins Germany in a woefully growing list of nations where the Galaxy Tab is an illegal product.
In response to the ruling, Samsung said it promised to “take all necessary measures including legal action in order to ensure our innovative products are available to consumers.”
This is only the latest chapter in what has become an all-out war between Samsung and Apple over mobile patents. Both companies are vying to become the leader in smartphones and tablets, and both are becoming increasingly forceful in their attacks.
