London (Financial Times) -- Samsung successfully fended off a legal move by Apple to block the sale of its tablet computers in the UK but only after suffering the indignity of a judge ruling that its Galaxy Tabs were "not cool" enough to be mistaken for iPads. Apple had claimed three models of the Galaxy Tab too closely resembled the design of the iPad. But Judge Colin Birss ruled that there were noticeable differences between the tablets in terms of their thickness and the designs on the back. "They do not have the same understated and extreme simplicity which is possessed by the Apple design," the judge said of the Samsung gadgets. "They are not as cool."
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UK judge rules Galaxy Tabs "not cool" enough to be mistaken for iPads
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Apple claimed three models were too similar to its iPad design
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Apple has 21 days to appeal against the UK ruling
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Rivals access Apple of using its patents aggressively to disrupt sales
@placeholder welcomed the ruling and said: "Should Apple continue to make excessive legal claims in other countries based on such generic designs, innovation in the industry could be harmed and consumer choice unduly limited."