Samsung can sell its latest iPad rival in most of Europe again after a German court lifted most of an injunction it had imposed at Apple’s request.
The Duesseldorf regional court said 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.
Samsung’s Galaxy Tab line of tablet computers is considered the most credible alternative to Apple’s iPad, which has taken the market by storm, selling about 30 million since its launch a year and a half ago.
Apple and others have moved aggressively to defend their intellectual property in maturing markets, especially against Google’s Android software platform, on which the new Samsung Galaxy 10.1 tablet is built.
Android, a latecomer to the mobile market, has become a target by rapidly turning into the world’s most popular smartphone platform. Google is relatively defenseless because it owns few wireless patents, in contrast to older rivals.
On Monday, Google agreed to buy Motorola Mobility, the descendant company of cellular phone pioneer Motorola, for $12.5 billion, largely for its vast patent library.
Google’s $12.5 bn buy of Motorola Mobility might hurt Apple’s ability to pressure the Android ecosystem and the iPhone maker may try to strike back by buying up more patent troves, Jefferies & Co said.