As mentioned in an earlier article, Apple was banned by a German court from selling their Galaxy Tab in members of the European Union except for Netherlands although they could also lose this.  The ban will take effect after every last available stock on the European market has been sold then no further shipment of the product will be allowed unless the ban has been lifted by winning the case file by Apple. So there’s still a chance for Europeans to get a hold of the Galaxy Tab.  Better act fast while stocks last.

“Samsung is disappointed with the court’s decision and we intend to act immediately to defend our intellectual property rights through the ongoing legal proceedings in Germany and will continue to actively defend these rights throughout the world.  We will take all necessary measures to ensure Samsung’s innovative mobile communications devices are available to customers in Europe and around the world.”

Apple’s tactic of filing the lawsuit in a German court is quite remarkable as courts in Germany only needs proof from the plaintiff that infringement has been to acquire an injunction without the need to notify the other party involved.

“It’s no coincidence that Samsung’s latest products look a lot like the iPhone and iPad, from the shape of the hardware to the user interface and even the packaging,” Apple spokeswoman Kristin Huguet said, reiterating comments made by the company in April. “This kind of blatant copying is wrong, and we need to protect Apple’s intellectual property when companies steal our ideas.”

Samsung isn’t the only one affected by this as Motorola is also being sued by Apple for their Xoom tablet although it is still unclear whether the Xoom will also be banned in Europe.

Samsung is fast running out of places to sell their tablet.  They better come up with a plan to stop Apple from tablet-blocking them from every available country in the world.  Hmmm… maybe Samsung has a better chance of selling their product in space?