Apple Convinces Judge to Grant Injunction Against Samsung

On Wednesday, a U.S. judge granted an injunction against Samsung. The injunction prevents Samsung from selling its Galaxy 10.1 tablet. The Galaxy tablet is a direct competitor to Apple's

iPad. According to

, Apple claims that Samsung "infringed on patents," as well as copying "the look and feel of the iPad." Judge Lucy Koh of the Northern District of California originally denied the injunction, but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit overturned the decision in mid-May.

said that the judge originally ruled that Apple's patent should never have been granted, as it was too "obvious" or broad. However, that decision was overturned. Judge Koh issued a statement saying that, "although Samsung has a right to compete, it does not have a right to compete unfairly, by flooding the market with infringing products." "While Samsung will certainly suffer lost sales from the issuance of an injunction," Judge Koh continued, "the hardship to Apple of having to directly compete with Samsung's infringing products outweighs Samsung's harm in light of the previous findings by the Court." The damage to Samsung may be relatively small, initially at least. The injunction only covers the first generation of Samsung's Galaxy Tablet, a device largely considered out-of-date now. Apple reiterated a previously released statement saying, "It's no coincidence that Samsung's latest products look a lot like the iPhone and iPad, from the shape of the hardware to the user interface and even the packaging. This kind of blatant copying is wrong and, as we've said many times before, we need to protect Apple's intellectual property when companies steal our ideas." For Samsung, who immediately filed an appeal, the long-term effects could prove to be huge, and a potential PR disaster. On Wednesday, shares of Apple traded near $574.