Following the news earlier this week that the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 has been blocked from sale in the US due to a patent dispute filed by Apple, the Samsung-made Galaxy Nexus has been taken off the market in the US by way of a judge's order while the heated Apple-Samsung patent disputes continue.
Apple was granted a preliminary injunction barring the sales of the devices. Apple has cited Samsung as 'slavishly copying' the design, functionality and look and feel of its iPhone and iPad products.
A report from the BBC states that, "US District Judge Lucy Koh said Apple 'has shown a likelihood of establishing both infringement and validity'.
U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh stressed that Apple had made a strong case that Samsung was infringing on a variety of patents, including but not limited to technology for simultaneously searching multiple databases.
This is a function found in Apple's "Siri" voice-automated assistant program used on the iPhone 4S. The Siri personal assistant is the marquee feature of the latest iPhone.
The injunction will go into effect once Apple delivers a bond of about $95.6 million. The bond will be used to offset Samsung's losses if the court resolves that it did not infringe on Apple's patents as claimed.
The outcome of this critical patent lawsuit is likely to affect the future product offerings of competitors in the smartphone and tablet markets. The case is set to go to trial in late July.
Source: BBC.co.uk