UK Court Shoots Down Apple Patent Appeal

The High Court in London upheld an earlier ruling that said Samsung's Galaxy Tab tablet line doesn't infringe on Apple's patents. The earlier ruling sided with Samsung, and requires Apple to publish a statement saying that the electronics maker isn't infringing on its patents.

Judge Colin Birss ordered Apple to run ads saying Samsung isn't copying its designs in in July as part of his patent infringement ruling. He said at the time, "[Samsung's tablet designs] do not have the same understated and extreme simplicity which is possessed by the Apple design. They are not as cool."

Apple may have to run pro-Samsung ads in the UKApple may have to run pro-Samsung ads in the UK

The ruling said that Apple must post a statement on its website, and place ads in The Financial Times, The Daily Mail, Guardian Mobile magazine, and T3 stating that Samsung isn't copying the iPad design.

Apple filed an appeal in an effort to reverse the ruling saying Samsung isn't infringing, and to block the requirement that it run ads that essentially support a direct competitor. With the appeal shot down, Apple can appeal to the UK Supreme Court, or it will now have to run the pro-Samsung ads -- a move its legal team said would cause Apple "irreparable and disproportionate harm."

The High Court, however, thinks the ads need to run and that the "acknowledgement must come from the horse's mouth. Nothing short of that will be sure to do the job completely," according to the BBC.

The judges chose to leave the earlier ruling in place because they felt a reversal would cause confusion for consumers since Apple has a similar case against Samsung in German courts, too.

Apple hasn't commented on the ruling, but it's a safe bet the company's legal team is already working on its Supreme Court appeal.