Samsung’s Australian Galaxy Tab launch delayed until late September

Samsung has announced it will delay the Australian launch of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet until late September, waiting until a court verdict is reached on claims that the Korean vendor had copied the design and packaging of Apple’s iPhone and iPad products.

With an injunction placed upon sales of three Samsung smartphones in some European countries and a similar ruling made in Germany, banning the sale of the Galaxy Tab 10.1, Samsung has said it will delay the launch of its tablet device pending a decision in late September, lodging a cross claim through the Australian court in the next few days.

Samsung’s statement detailed its actions:

“Today, Samsung informed the Federal Court of Australia it intends to file a cross claim against Apple Australia and Apple Inc regarding the invalidity of the patents previously asserted by Apple and also a cross claim against Apple regarding violation of patents held by Samsung by selling its iPhones and iPads.”

The Australian launch of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 was delayed earlier in the month following an agreement between Apple and Samsung, with sales expected to begin in the following weeks.

Samsung has been involved in legal battles in the USA, Europe and South Korea, as well as Australia, with Apple claiming that the Korean manufacturer has infringed its wireless patents.