German court: Split decision in Apple-Samsung case

BERLIN — A Duesseldorf court has issued a split decision in a patent dispute between rivals Apple and Samsung over two of the Korean company’s tablet computers.

California-based Apple sued to have sales of both the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1N and the Galaxy Tab 7.7 stopped.

But the Duesseldorf state court ruled Tuesday that Samsung made enough changes to the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in its 10.1N that it no longer infringes upon any Apple iPad patents or designs.

It said, however, that the back and sides of the smaller Galaxy Tab 7.7 imitated the Apple design in an “unacceptable manner” and ordered European sales stopped.

Samsung Electronics and Apple Inc. are engaged in a strategic war over patents in many countries and Samsung typically responds to such rulings with design tweaks.