Samsung's Galaxy tablet computer is not "cool" enough to be confused with Apple's iPad, a British judge has ruled.

The American electronics giant had argued the Samsung Galaxy Tab was too similar to their product, but the claim was dismissed on Monday at London's High Court.

Judge Colin Birss said: "They do not have the same understated and extreme simplicity which is possessed by the Apple design. They are not as cool."

He said consumers were not likely to get the two tablet computers mixed up and ruled the Samsung tablets do not infringe Apple's registered design.

A spokeswoman for Samsung welcomed the ruling and accused Apple of "excessive legal claims".

She said: "Samsung welcomes today's judgment, which affirms our position that our Galaxy Tab products do not infringe Apple's registered design right. As the ruling proves, the origins of Apple's registered design features can be found in numerous examples of prior art.

"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."

An Apple spokesman said he would not comment specifically on Monday's ruling but reiterated the company's earlier claims against Samsung: "It's no coincidence that Samsung's latest products look a lot like the iPhone and iPad, from the shape of the hardware to the user interface and even the packaging.

"This kind of blatant copying is wrong and, as we've said many times before, we need to protect Apple's intellectual property when companies steal our ideas."

Apple is bringing similar action against Samsung in Germany and the Netherlands.

Source:

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/world/8496693/apple-loses-in-samsung-tablet-case