14 DAY TRIAL // Samsung's tablet had already been delayed in Australia, for legal reasons invoked by Apple, and the court has finally reached a temporary decision, not at all fortuitous for the former.
People may have thought that Samsung had a good chance of scoring big on the tablet market when it created the Galaxy tab 10.1.
Apple probably felt the same, because it immediately sued the company for patent infringement, first in Australia and then in Europe.
Samsung had only delayed the sales of the Tab 10.1 in Australia and even approached Apple for a quick settlement outside the courts.
Apple rejected it quite swiftly, hoping for a victory which, apparently, it got, according to this report.
The Australian Federal Court basically granted a temporary injunction against the launch and sale of the Galaxy Tab 10.1.
The Judge, Annabelle Bennett, ruled that the slate does, indeed, infringe two of Apple's patents (alas, the patent system shows its fangs again).
The court even offered to expedite the final hearing, but Samsung declined, saying that it needs time to “prepare a proper defense against Apple's case” as the report put it.
The speeding up of the final proceedings may have been a way to act in Samsung's benefit, since winning there would mean the lifting of this injunction in time for the holiday season.
After all, since the Galaxy Tab 10.1 was already pushed back for months, having it on sale during the holiday shopping sprees would have done it good.
As it is, though, the Tab 10.1 has been banned in Australia, something that doesn't set a favorable precedent for its maker if (more like when) Apple takes the issue to South Korean and US judges as well.
The fact that the tablet is also banned in Germany definitely doesn't paint a pretty picture for Samsung either.