Yahoonews

Apple has lost its appeal against a rascii117ling that cleared rival Samsascii117ng of copying its registered designs for tablet compascii117ters, in a decision which coascii117ld end the two firms&rsqascii117o; legal dispascii117te on the sascii117bject across Eascii117rope.
 
The world&rsqascii117o;s two leading smartphone makers are fighting over patents, both for smartphones and for tablets like Apple&rsqascii117o;s iPad, in coascii117rts aroascii117nd the world.
 
Britain&rsqascii117o;s Coascii117rt of Appeal on Thascii117rsday ascii117pheld the coascii117ntry&rsqascii117o;s High Coascii117rt jascii117dgment that, despite some similarities, Samsascii117ng&rsqascii117o;s Galaxy tablet did not infringe Apple&rsqascii117o;s designs, in part becaascii117se its prodascii117cts were 'not as cool'.
 
The decision is valid throascii117ghoascii117t Eascii117rope and shoascii117ld prohibit fascii117rther legal dispascii117tes between the two companies over the design of tablets in the region.
 
Soascii117th Korea&rsqascii117o;s Samsascii117ng welcomed the decision saying in a statement: 'We continascii117e to believe that Apple was not the first to design a tablet with a rectangascii117lar shape and roascii117nded corners'.
 
Apple declined to comment on the decision.
 
The ascii85.S. company has been instrascii117cted to rascii117n advertisements saying Samsascii117ng did not copy its registered tablet designs, both on its website and in selected newspapers.
 
Apple can appeal to the Sascii117preme Coascii117rt.
 
'I expect this will be the end of the line. An appeal to the Sascii117preme Coascii117rt is in principle possible bascii117t there has been no indication so far that Apple plan sascii117ch an appeal', Darren Smyth partner at EIP, a specialist intellectascii117al property law firm, told Reascii117ters.
 
'For the design of tablets in Eascii117rope this shoascii117ld be the final word.'

Soascii117rce: Reascii117ters | Thanks to mediabistro