Apple fails to widen Australia Samsung ban

A court Friday turned down Apple's bid to have Samsung give it advance warning of any new product launches in Australia until its patent infringement case against the Korean firm goes to a full hearing. The ruling comes after the US technology giant on Thursday won a temporary ban on Samsung selling its Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Australia, the latest victory in its global battle over patents related to the popular iPad tablet computer. The Federal Court of Australia granted an interim order against the sale of the Galaxy 10.1, saying Apple had established a prima facie case that Samsung had breached touchscreen technology copyrights. Both sides debated orders related to that injunction in court Friday, with Apple requesting Samsung provide it with a version of any tablet device it produces 10 days before coming on to the market. Justice Annabelle Bennett rejected the request, saying "it doesn't apply to any other player in the marketplace." The development came as Apple launched its new iPhone on Friday, with hundreds of people queuing outside its four-storey flagship Sydney store. The courtroom battle is part of a wider global war in which two of the world's biggest technology companies are vying for supremacy in the US$100 billion market for tablet computers and smartphones. Apple won a similar ban on the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Germany earlier this month related to copyright breaches, and the two companies are locked in an ongoing war over smartphone and tablet technology in the United States. Similar copyright disputes between Apple and Samsung are also afoot in South Korea.