Apple uses court-ordered apology to hit back at UK Samsung ruling

Consumer electronics giant Apple has issued an apology of sorts to Samsung, after a UK court ruled the South Korean tech giant did not infringe its copyright.

Apple was ordered to publish a notice on its website and in several UK national newspapers back in July stating that the Samsung Galaxy Tab had not copied the design of the iPad.

This was in the wake of a High Court ruling by Judge Colin Birss, who made headlines by declaring that the Samsung Galaxy Tab was unlikely to be confused with the iPad because it is "not as cool."

Apple was granted the right to appeal, but the judgement was upheld on 18 October, resulting in the publication of the apology now.

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The missive goes to great lengths to flag up several complimentary points made in the ruling about how the Apple device differs to Samsung's tablet, including Birss's comment about the apparent coolness of the design.

At no point in the 363 word statement is the phrase "sorry" or "apology" used.

"The extreme simplicity of the Apple design is striking...the design looks like an object the informed user would want to pick up and hold," it states.

"The informed user's overall impression of each of the Samsung Galaxy Tablets is...they do not have the same understated and extreme simplicity which is possessed by the Apple design. They are not as cool."

It then goes on to point out other court cases across the globe on the same issue that have ruled in the firm's favour, which could be seen as a pointed dig at the outcome of the UK trial.

"In a case tried in Germany regarding the same patent, the court found that Samsung engaged in unfair competition by copying the iPad design [and] a US jury also found Samsung guilty of infringing on Apple's design and utility patents," said the statement.

"So while the UK court did not find Samsung guilty of infringement, other courts have recognised that in the course of creating its Galaxy tablet, Samsung willfully copied Apple's far more popular iPad."

Caroline Donnelly was the news and analysis editor of IT Pro. Previously, she 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.