Apple targets Samsung’s phone and tablet designs in Australia

Apple isn’t done with Samsung in Australia, not by a long shot. The California consumer electronics giant is targeting Samsung in that country with another series of patent infringement claims (via Bloomberg), this time related to at least 10 patents tied to the design of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Samsung’s smartphones.

Apple’s new claims came to light during a hearing Tuesday in which Apple was attempting to delay a trial regarding Samsung’s claims that Apple’s 3G-capable mobile devices infringe its wireless patents. The patents in question relate to the design of cases for Samsung’s 10.1-inch tablet and its Galaxy line of smartphones.

In the hearing, Apple asked for more time to prepare its case regarding Samsung’s claims of infringement, which is set to begin in March. Australian Federal Court Justice Annabelle Bennett didn’t make a final decision on Apple’s request for a delay, which comes after Samsung agreed to an expedited trial and agreed not to pursue a temporary injunction against Apple’s devices as a result, and will hold another hearing on Feb. 3 to decide the matter.

Apple has pursued Samsung’s devices for infringement of design-related rights in other markets, but it hasn’t necessarily produced the desired results. In Germany, Samsung got around a ruling against its Galaxy Tab 10.1 design by rolling out the Galaxy Tab 10.1N, a modified version which specifically addresses the patents it was found to have infringed upon. Similar tactics could be used by the South Korean company to sidestep any decisions resulting from design-related action in Australia, too.

Still, this could be just another element of Apple’s death-by-1,000-cuts strategy of winning decisions that force small changes to both device hardware and software, forcing competitors to consider whether continuing to create products similar to Apple’s own is really worth it.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.