Apple ordered to say that Samsung didn’t copy the iPad

Someone needs to give the judge in Apple and Samsung’s UK patent case an award for all the entertainment he’s given the tech press. First he said that there was no way the Galaxy Tab was infringing on the iPad’s design, because (among other things) the Tab is just “not as cool” as Apple’s tablet. Now he’s ordered the Cupertino tech giant to publish a notice on the UK version of its website and local print media declaring that Samsung didn’t copy the iPad design.

According to Bloomberg, Judge Colin Birss said that Apple needed to put the notice on their website for six months, and run an ad in UK newspapers and magazines to lessen the negative commercial impact the copycat rumours may have had. Some of the publications include the Financial Times, the Daily Mail, Guardian Mobile magazine and T3.

Birss ruled earlier this month that Samsung had not infringed on Apple’s design patents, as the Galaxy Tab and iPad were easy to tell apart from the back, even though there were some similarities from the front.

Meanwhile, in the United States, the impending smartphone-related patent trial is already grabbing headlines, despite the fact that it’s only due to start on 30 July. Samsung has asked the Californian judge to limit the number of references Apple’s lawyers can make to the late Steve Jobs, as they are concerned they may prejudice the jury in Apple’s favour.

After a lawyer for Apple mentioned that he planned to include two slides of Jobs early on in the trial, one of Samsung’s attorneys, Charles Verhoeven, reportedly told judge Lucy Koh “I don’t want to see an opening statement where jurors see 15 images of Steve Jobs.”

He said that footage of the company’s iconic founder would not act to substantiate their argument, but only emotionally influence the jury. “Whether Mr. Jobs made a presentation is not relevant to their case,” said Verhoeven. “It shouldn’t be a popularity contest.”

Koh said she wouldn’t completely ban references to Jobs from the trail, but that she would like to see the slides Apple’s legal team would like to use before she makes a final decision.