Germany leans toward allowing Samsung to sell its 10.1N tablet

A regional court in Duesseldorf Thursday said it is leaning toward permitting the German unit of Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. to distribute the Galaxy Tab 10.1N tablet computer in the European Union, saying its design differs sufficiently from Apple Inc.'s patent-protected iPad.

Apple requested that the court ban the distribution of the Galaxy Tab 10.1N amid a judicial battle between the two companies in several countries about the design and the technology used in the two companies' popular electronic devices. The Duesseldorf court's indication could be a bellwether for rulings in similar cases elsewhere.

The Duesseldorf court's preliminary assessment is that Samsung has amended the design of the Galaxy Tab 10.1N model from the previous 10.1 model significantly enough to distinguish it from Apple's patented design, the court said in a press release, noting the Samsung device's contrasting frame and loudspeaker openings.

The court plans to announce its final decision on Feb. 9.The court banned Samsung earlier this year from distributing the older Galaxy Tab 10.1 model in Germany, but this ruling could be overturned by Duesseldorf's higher regional court.

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