Apple ordered to publish Samsung "did not copy us" notice

published 19 July 2012

Consumer electronics giant Apple must publish a notice on its website and in several UK national newspapers stating that rival Samsung did not copy the design of the iPad.

The notice should direct readers to a ruling made by Judge Colin Birss on 9 July, which states the design of Samsung's Galaxy tablet does not infringe on the iPad maker's intellectual property.

The ruling made headlines earlier this month after Birss said the Samsung device was unlikely to be confused with the iPad because it is "not as cool."

During the case, Birss said the Samsung Galaxy belonged to the same design family as the Apple iPad when viewed from the front, but not from behind.

According to a report on news site Bloomberg, Birss announced yesterday at a court hearing that the notice must remain on the Apple website for six months and appear in several national newspapers.

He also declined Samsung's request to issue an injunction banning Apple from making statements, claiming the Galaxy tablet infringes on the iPad design.

"Should Apple continue to make excessive legal claims based on such generic designs, innovation in the industry could be harmed and consumer choice unduly limited," said Samsung in a statement sent to Bloomberg after the hearing.

Apple has been granted permission to appeal.

Caroline Donnelly is the news and analysis editor of IT Pro and its sister site Cloud Pro, and covers general news, as well as the storage, security, public sector, cloud and Microsoft beats. Caroline has been a member of the IT Pro/Cloud Pro team since March 2012, and has previously worked as a reporter at several B2B publications, including UK channel magazine CRN, and as features writer for local weekly newspaper, The Slough and Windsor Observer. She studied Medical Biochemistry at the University of Leicester and completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Magazine Journalism at PMA Training in 2006.