Apple Loses Bid to Halt Samsung Galaxy in Calif.

SAN JOSE, Calif. (CN) - Apple cannot stop Samsung Electronics from selling Galaxy tablet computers and smart phones, a federal judge ruled.

The Saturday order dealt Apple the biggest blow yet in pretrial maneuverings with Samsung over patents and bodes well for the Korean manufacturer's fight against the trademark and trade-dress suit Apple filed in April.

Apple claims that the design of Samsung's new products "slavishly copy" iPhone and iPad products.

In July, the computer giant asked U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh to stop Samsung from "making, using, offering to sell, or selling within the United States, or importing into the United States, the following recently released products: the Galaxy S 4G, Infuse 4G, and Droid Charge smartphones, and the Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet computer."

Apple wanted to stop Samsung from selling the phones and computer tablets until the court resolves its trademark and trade-dress claims.

Koh shot that attempt down with a detailed analysis of each side's prospects.

Because Apple seeks to protect design patents, Koh said she focused "not on the function of these ubiquitous products, but on their visual characteristics."

The court mainly examined the likelihood Apple would succeed at trial in proving patent infringement and whether irreparable harm would come to Apple without a preliminary injunction.

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