Google Galaxy Nexus smartphone hit with preliminary injunction in the U.S.

Google Galaxy Nexus

Last night, Judge Lucy Koh of the U.S. District Court in California ruled on Apple's request for a preliminary injunction on sales of the Google Galaxy Nexus smartphone in the U.S. The smartphone, which is built by Samsung, was found to be possibly infringing upon one of Apple's patents and has now been banned from sale in the U.S.

The court ruled that while the Galaxy Nexus was possibly infringing on all four of the patents brought up by Apple, the injunction is based on one patent related to the unified search features found in Apple's Siri personal assistant. The court determined that the unified search box in Android was a big selling point for the Galaxy Nexus, and that further sales of the Galaxy Nexus could cause Apple irreparable harm in the form of lost market share.

The Galaxy Nexus is sold by both Verizon Wireless and Sprint in the U.S., and Google also sells an unlocked version through its website that is compatible with both AT&T and T-Mobile.

This particular injunction is a temporary order, and Apple has to post a bond of $96 million before it will take effect. Should Apple continue to gain victories in its case against Samsung, the preliminary injunction could become a permanent injunction. A hearing has been scheduled for Monday to determine whether or not the court should put the injunction on hold pending an appeal from Samsung.

A Google spokesperson commented on the decision, saying:

"We're disappointed with this decision, but we believe the correct result will be reached as more evidence comes to light."

Apple also released a statement on the court's decision:

"It's no coincidence that Samsung's latest products look a lot like the iPhone and iPad, from the shape of the hardware to the user interface and even the packaging. This kind of blatant copying is wrong and, as we've said many times before, we need to protect Apple's intellectual property when companies steal our ideas."