Apple iPad cooler than Samsung Galaxy tablet, says UK judge

Samsung Electronics today won the latest battle in its worldwide patents war with Apple, but the ruling has a sting in the tail. 

A British judge said Samsung's Galaxy tablets do not infringe Apple’s designs for its iconic iPad because “they are not as cool.”

High Court Judge Colin Birss said the rival tablets looked similar when viewed from the front, but Samsung’s products were “very thin” and have “unusual details on the back,” Reuters reported.

"They do not have the same understated and extreme simplicity which is possessed by the Apple design. They are not as cool," Birss said.

"The overall impression produced is different” and, as The Telegraph reported, “informed users” would be able to spot the difference between the two brands.

The case is part of a global smartphone and tablet patents war between Apple and Samsung. Both companies have accused each other of intellectual property rights infringement in relation to their mobile devices.

Apple, based in California, has sought court orders in the US, Germany, Netherlands and elsewhere seeking to block sales of Samsung’s tablet.

“It’s no coincidence that Samsung’s latest products look a lot like the iPhone and iPad,” Apple spokesman Alan Hely said in statement to Bloomberg after the judgment was handed down.

“This kind of blatant copying is wrong and, as we’ve said many times before, we need to protect Apple’s intellectual property.”

The decision comes after a US appeals court on Friday overturned an order freezing sales of Samsung's Galaxy Nexus smartphones. The same court, however, upheld a lower court's decision to suspend sales of the Korean company's Galaxy 10.1 tablet.

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