Judge Rules: Samsung Can’t View iPad 3 and iPhone 5 Ahead Of Release

Apple and Samsung have been at each others throats since the end of May when Samsung demanded to see the Apple iPhone 5 and Apple iPad 3 devices and Apple asked for the blueprints to various Samsung gadgets including the Galaxy Tab and Galaxy S line of Smartphones and now a judge has ruled in favor of Apple, refusing Samsung’s request to view the company’s upcoming devices.

It should be noted that Samsung’s request asked to see the blueprints for not-yet-disclosed devices, while Apple simply requested design blueprints for devices that were already available to the public such as the Galaxy Tab 10.1, the same device that Google gave away in the thousands during the Google I/O conference.

Apple started the legal battle when they requested more information about Samsung devices to ensure they were not violating any Apple patents or trademarks for their upcoming iOS based devices while Samsung said viewing the iPhone 5 and iPad 3 would allow them to avoid future legal actions and prepare for upcoming litigation.

While it’s a big win for Apple, judge Lucy Koh also hinted that she may not grant Apple’s request for an injunction against further Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Galaxy S II sales if Apple doesn’t work with Samsung to ensure future patents are not violated.

That last finding means if Apple doesn’t show off their iPad 3 and iPhone 5 products future injunctions against Samsung are unlikely and the case will drag on in court for an unknown period of time.