Apple is once again going after a rival tablet, claiming that its design was taken from Apple"s iPad device. The FOSS Patents web site reports that Apple has filed a complaint with a German court against Motorola, the maker of the Android-powered tablet the Xoom. Apple and Motorola had previously fought over patent ownership back in October 2010 in the US but this new complaint is the first time we have seen the legal fight extended over to Europe.
So far, Apple has yet to seek an injunction asking the court to keep the Motorola Xoom from being sold in Europe. The Xoom was first launched in its 3G form back in February, and in March a WiFi only version was released. Motorola has recently said it has shipped about 440,000 units of the Xoom tablet so far this year. In September, the Xoom is supposed to get its long awaited 4G update via Verizon.
Apple has already gotten courts in Australia and more recently in Europe to agree to keep Samsung"s Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet from being sold in those territories while the two companies fight in court over their own patent disputes. The European ban happened on Tuesday and in a statement to News.com, Samsung said the decision to keep the Galaxy Tab 10.1 off store shelves was a surprise, saying, "The request for injunction was filed with no notice to Samsung, and the order was issued without any hearing or presentation of evidence from Samsung."