Galaxy Tab 7.7 Ban In Europe Not Boding Well For Samsung As iPad Mini And iPhone 5 Rumors Circulate

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 has been banned in Europe for striking too close a resemblance to the iPad. A Duesseldorf high court set the restriction of the tablet throughout Europe, with the exception of Germany which already ruled on the case, as rumors begin to circulate about Apple's newest products, the iPhone 5 and the iPad Mini.

The time when the iPad Mini and the iPhone 5 release date rumors begin to circulate isn't when major competitor, Samsung needs any bad press. Unfortunately, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 was found to infringe upon Apple's design rights for looking too similar to their tablet, the iPad, as reported by PC World.

Samsung and Apple are two major players in the smartphone and tablet market. In a fortunate win for Samsung, the larger version of the tablet, the Galaxy Tab 10.1N was not considered similar enough to violate Apple's design rights.

The courts in the European Union have decided that the Samsung Galaxy Tab's aesthetic similarities to the iPad violate the industrial design rights. These rights are intellectual property laws throughout the EU, and their ruling will apply in all countries of the union aside from Germany which already ruled that the Galaxy 7.7 could not be sold in a lower regional court.

Now that Samsung has a model its Galaxy Tab off the market throughout Europe, Apple is gaining another victory over the company, in favor of the ultra-popular tablet, the iPad. This case is also following the straight forward remarks about the Galaxy Tab by English judge Colin Birss, who said the Samsung tablet didn't infringe on the iPad because it wasn't as cool

The Samsung tablets do not have the same understated and extreme simplicity which is possessed by the Apple design, Judge Birss said according to The Wall Street Journal. They are not as cool.

When it comes to brand loyalty, Samsung is going to be having issues in European sales when costumers can't get their new tablet, and the iPhone 5 is released in the next few months. Consumers can sync up their apps and other information if they are using both an iPhone 5 and iPad or a Galaxy Tab and Galaxy S smartphone.

With no official word out, iPhone 5 rumors have been circulating the web with consumer interest in some of the minutest details. Blogs and news sites are making estimates for the iPhone 5 release date, like ITProPortals recent estimate of September 21^st, as well as clambering at any chance to publish new feature articles on Apple's next big smartphone.

Apple's new, smaller tablet, the iPad Mini might not be getting the internet buzz surrounding the iPhone 5, but it still poses a threat to Samsung in the European regions. The Galaxy Tab 7.7 serves Samsung customers who were looking for a more compact tablet, which is the same purpose as Apple's iPad Mini.

Samsung plans to do all they can to make their tablet readily available in the restricted regions, despite the court's rulings being final. should Apple continue to make legal claims based on such a generic design patent, design innovation and progress in the industry could be restricted, said a Samsung representative as reported by PC World.