Apple Forced to Wait for Galaxy Tab Injunction

Apple’s hopes of pushing through an injunction blocking the import of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 into the United States went up in smoke on Monday when Judge Lucy Koh told the iPhone and iPad maker that it must wait until a mandate is handed down from a Federal Appeals Court.

Judge Koh is overseeing the mobile device patent infringement battle between Apple and Samsung. She told both sides she won’t have jurisdiction to issue a preliminary injunction until the U.S. Court of Appeals finishes its process, so for now Apple must wait, according to Bloomberg.

Judge: No Galaxy Tab injunction for Apple... yet.Judge: No Galaxy Tab injunction for Apple… yet.

The Court of Appeals ruled that an iPad design patent previously called invalid in court was, in fact, valid after all. Apple jumped on the opportunity opened by the new ruling and filed for a preliminary injunction to block Samsung from selling its Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet in the U.S.

Apple and Samsung have been locked in a legal battle over patent infringement claims for several months. Both companies have alleged that the other’s mobile devices use patented technologies without proper licensing, and have filed lawsuits against each other in the U.S. and other countries.

Judge Koh’s statement that she doesn’t yet have jurisdiction to issue an injunction is good news for Samsung, especially since Apple is expected to see a ruling in its favor. Assuming Apple wins its injunction, Samsung will most likely change its tablet design to work around the block, just as it did after a German court issued a similar ban.

Apple has not commented onJudge Koh’s ruling.