Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s iPad has not been infringed upon by the Galaxy Tab tablets made by Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (LON:BC94) (KRX:005930), according to a Dutch court. That backs up a ruling made by a British court in October. Apple has been duking it out with Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (LON:BC94) (KRX:005930) in court over the Galaxy Tab, which Apple claims infringes upon its iPad. Apple won a ban on the Galaxy Tab in the U.S., but that ban was dissolved in October.
All Things D reports that the Dutch court ruled that although the iPad and the Galaxy Tab share roughly the same shape, the impression of the two devices is different. The two companies have been going round and round in court over various patent infringement claims in the last few years. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (LON:BC94) sued Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) for the iOS Notification center in December.
Apple has also been ordered into negotiations with Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) because of the two companies’ disagreement over the App Store. According to PCMAG, the judge in the case scheduled negotiations for March 21, and while those talks don’t guarantee that the two tech giants will reach an agreement, they could help them settle their differences and maybe even avoid a trial.
Both companies must deliver a settlement conference statement to the court by March 11. The statement should summarize the facts and state their demands. The statements made by both parties will not be admissible for argument if the case goes to trial, and if both companies want to extend their talks, they have to give a good reason.
The case between Apple and Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) dates back to March 2011 when Apple sued Amazon saying that the name Amazon Appstore for Android was an infringement on the App Store trademark held by Apple. Apple had filed for that trademark in 2008, but it was never officially approved because it allows those with objections to share comments, and Amazon was one of the companies that did.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s false advertising claim made in the case has already been dismissed by the judge, who said the company didn’t provide any evidence that Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) made any false claims about its app store.