British Judge Humiliates Apple with Court Instruction

After being punished in court for designing a tablet that is much cooler than any made by Samsung, Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) has been instructed to run ads announcing that its South Korean competitor did not copy the iPad's design.

According to Bloomberg (via Reuters), Judge Birss said that Apple should publish a notice on its UK website for six months, along with notices in newspapers and magazines "to correct any impression the South Korea-based company was copying Apple's product."

An Apple lawyer, Richard Hacon, responded by saying that this meant the company would have to publish an advertisement for its competitor. Bloomberg quoted Hacon as saying, "No company likes to refer to a rival on its website."

While this is a big win for Samsung, the Galaxy S III maker had also hoped to get an injunction that would prevent Apple from making public statements claiming that the Galaxy Tab infringed on its designs. The judge denied this request, saying that Apple is entitled to its opinion on the matter -- even if the court disagrees, apparently.

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