The injunction is the latest development in Apple's patent lawsuit filed in April over touchscreen technology. Samsung had agreed to delay the Australian launch of the tablet until Justice Annabelle Bennett ruled on the matter.
The ruling, which prohibits sales of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 pending a conclusion to the lawsuit, comes less than 2 weeks after Samsung offered Apple a temporary settlement. That offer was rejected last week.
While not the end of the lawsuit, it does appear to have put an end to Samsung's plan to sell the tablet in Australia before Christmas.
Samsung seems to be hoping to change the focus to their own lawsuit against Apple, whom they accuse of violating wireless communications patents. According to the Sidney Morning Herald, a statement from Samsung said:
This is a part of our ongoing legal proceeding against Apple's claim. Samsung is also confident it can prove Apple's violation of Samsung's wireless technology patents through a cross-claim filed on September 16, 2011 with the Federal Court of Australia
However, because the technology Samsung is suing over is covered by FRAND licensing agreements, it is unlikely they will be able to keep any Apple products off the market. FRAND licensing is mandated by standards organizations to ensure companies wishing to implement industry standards are not discriminated against by patent holders.
Written by: Rich Fiscus @ 13 Oct 2011 16:14
