Samsung redesigns Galaxy Tab to avoid Apple ban in Germany

Samsung has launched a redesigned version of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Germany in an effort to escape a court order banning sales of the device after it was found to have infringed on copyright designs for Apple's iPad.

The new Galaxy Tab 10.1N is listed for sale on several web sites and Samsung appears to have altered the shape of the frame to give it more pronounced edges and differentiate it from the iPad. (The image above shows the new model on the left.)

Samsung confirmed that it will make the redesigned tablet available this month in Germany.

"From November 2011, the Galaxy Tab 10.1N - a new version of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 - will be offered in Germany," the company said.

Patent analyst Florian Mueller suggested that Samsung will still have to wait and see whether the courts accept the design, but that it put the legal onus back on Apple.

"Without a doubt, Samsung has upped the ante for Apple and its lawyers in case they wish to request a new injunction or allege that this constitutes an infringement of the existing one," he said in a blog post.

"The Galaxy Tab 10.1N still has rounded corners, but Apple doesn't have an exclusive right on just one such feature: what is protected is a set of characteristics and the overall impression it makes."

Mueller added that Samsung's ability to design and relaunch the tablet in such a short time indicates that, while the legal spat with Apple is a drain on the manufacturer, it is not affecting its ability to innovate.

"In its intellectual property spat with Apple, Samsung proves resilient, perseverant, and courageous. If there ever was any doubt about those virtues, here's the latest example," he said.

"A small player might not even be able to afford all the litigation this provokes. For Samsung, that's an inconvenience and an expense it would rather avoid, but not a big deal."

Even if the redesign works in Germany, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is still under threat in Australia, where Apple won a case in October banning the tablet from sale under a preliminary injunction.

Samsung has countersued in several countries over Apple's devices, including the iPhone 4S, arguing that the smartphone uses Samsung's patented technology. Cases in France, Italy and Australia are all due to be heard in the coming weeks and months.