Samsung agrees not to sell Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Australia until Apple lawsuit is resolved

Update: Samsung issued a statement and a “workaround”

In a surprising turn of events to anyone following the ongoing Apple vs. Samsung spat, Bloomberg reported this morning that Samsung has agreed to temporarily cease sales of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet until their legal dispute with Apple is settled or they win court approval:

Apple Inc. escalated a patent dispute against Samsung Electronics Co. and won an agreement that the South Korean company won’t sell the newest version of its tablet computer in Australia until a lawsuit is resolved. Samsung, based in Suwon, South Korea, agreed to stop advertising the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Australia and not to sell the device until it wins court approval or the lawsuit is resolved.

It’s interesting because Samsung was advertising the Galaxy Tab 10.1 launch in the country since July 20. Still, carriers Vodafone and Optus both hinted at plans to offer the device to their Australian customers “soon”. Samsung’s decision came as a lawyer for Apple sought an injunction before Federal Court Justice Annabelle Bennett in Sydney, claiming Samsung’s tablet infringes ten Apple patents. With that in mind, Samsung’s clearly on the defensive here. Apple also wants wants to “stop Samsung from selling the tablet in other countries” and Samsung’s conceding to Apple may have set an important precedence for other countries. Of course…

…other countries have entirely different laws so one particular country reaching a certain decision means little to another country as there are no precedents in international law. Perhaps Samsung’s willfully making a concession to Apple as a prelude to a settlement of sorts. It could be also that Australian law is just stronger in this regard or perhaps Apple’s legal team prepared better than Samsung’s in the country. A similar story is unfolding in the case of Apple vs. HTC, with HTC executives signaling it’s time to “sit down and figure it out” as the International Trade Commission has found HTC in violation of Apple’s patents related to iPhone technologies.

Cross-posted on 9to5Mac.com