“Virtually Indistinguishable” Those were the exact words that US District Judge Lucy Koh had to say regarding the similarity of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and the Apple iPad. This led her to the conclusion that it would be correct to ban the sale of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in the US.
The ban would take effect as soon as Apple shells out a bond worth 2.6 million dollars, an amount that pales in comparison to Apple’s large pool of resources. Sale of the Galaxy tab 10.1 will halt, but that only applies to restocks. Tablets in stock can still be sold by existing merchants in the country. This would make the supply of the Galaxy tab 10.1 plummets down for a while.
Not to fear though, the injunction only affects the 10.1 variant from Samsung. They still have plenty of other Galaxy Tab offerings, including the new Galaxy Tab II. Because of that, Samsung feels that their business won’t be severely impacted by the ban, but they will seek to defend themselves against this injunction.
The reason for the injunction is due to the overall design of the tablet. Apple claims that for the average user, the iPad and the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is truly identical and can hurt their business if the consumer buys the Galaxy Tab 10.1 while actually aiming to buy the iPad. For many users with common sense installed, this argument is simply stupid. How many reports have there been of an average user mistaking the Galaxy Tab 10.1 for the iPad? How many returns have they heard about with this kind of scenario? The look and dimensions look very different. Not to mention the lack of a Home button on the Tab
Still, the judges and jury feel like these devices actually do look the same in design. Makes you wonder if they need new glasses? This would not be the first time that Samsung had to deal with a ban on its Galaxy Tab 10.1. Apple has also filed this complaint in other countries, which were granted initially, but were eventually overturned. Some would predict the same thing will happen here.
Do you think Samsung has a chance on American soil? Or will the Big Apple prevail? The iPad is still popular and successful, despite their claims that it is suffering due to the Galaxy tab, but I think the biggest reason that users avoid them now is because of the way they choke competition with lawsuits.
Image sources: dailytech.com, goodfilipino.com, tabletpcexpert.co.uk
