Late last week we brought you news that Apple had won an injunction against Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 on the grounds that it infringed on some of Apple’s design patents. Now it seems that, as the old saying goes, it never rains but it pours. On Friday afternoon U.S. District Court Judge Lucy Koh granted a similar injunction against the Galaxy Nexus over a patent related to system-wide search capabilities.
While there was sure to be rejoicing in Cupertino following the ruling, this is certainly not how Google wanted to end its week. On Wednesday Google announced the latest (and very impressive) version of their Android mobile operating system – Android 4.1 Jelly Bean – at their annual Google I/O conference. When it first ships in mid-July, Jelly Bean will be available on exactly two devices: the Galaxy Nexus, and the Nexus 7 tablet. Unfortunately for Google, by the time that shipping date comes, there may only be one Jelly Bean device on the market.
As with the Galaxy Tab injunction, the fact that Judge Koh granted this injunction means that she feels Apple has a very strong case and is likely to prove its infringement claims in court. According to the ruling, the injunction cannot go into effect until Apple pays a $96 million bond. The bond is designed to offset any harm to Samsung’s sales should Apple fail to win in court. Apple was forced to pay a similar – though much smaller – bond for the Galaxy Tab 10.1 injunction. That bond was $2.6 million, and Apple handed over the with surprising speed. Though this bond is almost 37 times as much money, it’s a fair bet that Apple will be writing a check as soon as possible – perhaps within a couple of days.
So, if you’ve been in the market for a Galaxy Nexus, it looks like now might be your best time to get one. The 4G LTE model is only available on Verizon’s network. The HSPA+ GSM model is available contract-free on Google Play. The upgrade to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, coming later this month, should hit Nexuses (Nexi?) ordered from Google Play immediately, and will probably roll out to the Verizon version shortly thereafter.
Judge Koh’s order is embedded below:
