UK judge says Samsung’s Galaxy Tab “not as cool” as iPad, doesn’t infringe design

When is being uncool cool? For Samsung, it’s when it gets you out of a potentially nasty legal battle with Apple.

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U.K. Judge Colin Birss ruled today that Samsung’s Galaxy Tab Android tablets don’t infringe on the iPad because they’re simply not as hip, Bloomberg reports.

The Galaxy Tabs “do not have the same understated and extreme simplicity which is possessed by the Apple design,” Birss said. “They are not as cool.”

More specifically, Birss said the Samsung slates were clearly different from the iPad because they were thinner and sported “unusual details” on the back. Indeed, it’s hard to mistake an iPad for the Galaxy Tab if you have it in your hands, or can look at them from all angles.

Last week, Apple won a preliminary injunction against Samsung over sales of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in the U.S.

The news, obviously, is a double-edged sword for Samsung. While it no longer has to worry about fighting with Apple over the Galaxy Tab’s design, it’s also a very public declaration that Samsung’s tablets lack something special.

This ruling won’t affect Samsung’s sales, but in the vicious high school mentality of gadget geeks, it’s a dig that won’t be forgotten anytime soon.

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