Apple blocks U.S. sales of Samsung Galaxy Nexus in patent lawsuit

Apple was granted a court injunction to stop sales of Samsung's Galaxy Nexus smartphone in the U.S. while it resolves a patent dispute. Google confirmed that the product was removed from its Google Play store on Tuesday following the decision by California Judge Lucy Koh.

Apple said Samsung and Google have infringed on its intellectual property with the "Quick Search Box" on the phone's Android 4.0 operating system, also called Ice Cream Sandwich. According to Apple, the search feature violates its intellectual property protections for a "universal interface for retrieval of information in a computer system." The Galaxy Nexus is the first smartphone to run Android 4.0.

Judge Koh denied Samsung's motion to stay the ban on the smartphone's sales. Google said that its Android 4.1 system, known as Jelly Bean, would address the feature in question. The company added that it will begin selling the Galaxy Nexus again next week with the new operating system and will release an over-the-air update for those who already own the phone.

[Image credit: John Mitchell]

This article was written by Anna Washenko and originally appeared on Tecca

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