Apple Will Stop Selling iPhones, iPads in Major Market

Apple AAPL and Samsung are being punished this week after a South Korean court ruled that the two companies must stop selling a number of products in the Asian nation, including the iPhone 4, the first-generation iPad and the Galaxy S II. The full lineup of banned products includes the original Galaxy S, as well as the Galaxy Tab, iPad 2 and the iPhone 3GS. It is not clear if the Galaxy Tab ban affects all Samsung tablets, (which go by the same name), or just one particular device. Samsung must also stop selling a number of other, unnamed devices. According to Bloomberg, the ban comes after Seoul Central District Court ruled that Apple had violated two of Samsung's patents, and that Samsung violated one patent belonging to Apple. While the aforementioned products are relatively old, (the iPad 2, for example, first arrived in America more than 16 months ago), the product ban is likely to be more damaging than the individual financial penalties. Seoul Central District Court has ordered Apple to pay just 40 million won ($35,000) to its South Korean competitor. Samsung's penalty is even smaller; the company must fork over 25 million ($22,000) to Apple for violating one of its patent. Considering the billions of dollars that these firms earn each year, their penalties are rather insignificant. Thus far, Apple has paid more than $60 million this year to settle various trademark and patent lawsuits around the world. The iPhone maker has ran into a number of problems battling firms in China, leading some critics to question the firm's future in that region. In America, Apple is sparing no expense to win its ongoing trial with Samsung (that has now gone to jury), which could significantly change the way the two tech giants do business. The end result may not matter though, as the current patent laws could allow Apple and Samsung to skew any verdict in their favor -- the companies could use their patent holdings to force a favorable settlement. Follow me @LouisBedigianBZ