Apple targets newer Samsung phones in German suit

Apple has updated its attack on Samsung with a new lawsuit in Germany. The Dusseldorf complaint accuses Samsung of violating design rights with ten smartphones, headlined by the Galaxy S II but also including the Galaxy S Plus. An additional suit targets five extra Samsung tablets, which aren't yet known but likely include those that haven't been changed to skirt design patents, such as the original Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus and Galaxy Tab 8.9.

The lawsuits this time are unlikely to stop Samsung from selling at least some tablets in Germany following custom designs like the Tab 7.0N and Tab 10.1N. The court has already said the larger of the two doesn't violate Apple's design rights.

Apple has already targeted the Galaxy S II before in a Dutch court and forced a workaround, but this centered on software, not hardware.

Unlike with tablets, Samsung may have a harder time defending its actions. The company is the only major Android hardware maker to have an iPhone-like hardware home button on most of its lineup and deliberately changes the controls to the standard four-button Android layout whenever it brings a given device to the US, suggesting that it's fully aware its international design resembles that of Apple's smartphone. The changes extend up to the current Galaxy Note. [via Bloomberg]

By Electronista Staff