Apple Wins Injunction Blocking Sale of Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Australia

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that an Australian court has granted Apple's request for an injunction blocking the sale of Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 in that country, with the move apparently setting the stage for Samsung to cancel the device's release there entirely.

Justice Annabelle Bennett today said Apple had a prima facie case that Samsung had infringed two of its patents relating to touch screens and the gestures that control them.

Samsung had agreed several times to delay the Galaxy Tab 10.1 launch in Australia as the request for a preliminary injunction was considered, but noted last week that it would likely scrap the launch entirely if an injunction was granted. The injunction would essentially force the company to miss the holiday sales period and make the Galaxy Tab 10.1 relatively outdated by the time the injunction could be lifted through a full hearing on the matter.

In a statement, Samsung Electronics said it was disappointed with the ruling and would be seeking legal advice on its options.

"Samsung will continue its legal proceeding against Apple's claim in order to ensure our innovative products remain available to consumers," it 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, New South Wales.

Apple previously won an injunction blocking the sale of the Galaxy Tab in Germany, while a separate injunction targeting Samsung's smartphones in Europe had been set to go into effect tomorrow. Samsung has indicated, however, that it has addressed that issue by removing the infringing behavior of allowing users to swipe between photos.