The summer is coming to an end, but not so the patent wars. The latest skirmish: Samsung's been forced by a German court to remove Galaxy Tab 7.7 from IFA 2011.

When Galaxy Tab 7.7 was announced last week, Samsung said that the device wouldn't be released in the U.S., though it wouldn't give further details. However, Apple and Samsung will be in a California court on Oct. 18, and it's possible Samsung could change its mind after that and launch Galaxy Tab 7.7 in the U.S. after that. Back to Germany: It all started soon after Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 was released in June. the Regional Court of Dusseldorf granted Apple a preliminary injunction against the sale of Galaxy Tab 10.1 in most of Europe. Apple charged that Samsung's tablet infringed its intellectual property and copied some elements from the iPad 2. Samsung appealed, a new hearing is scheduled for Friday (Sept. 9), but until then Galaxy Tab 10.1 can't be sold. Last week, the court granted Apple another injunction, this one applying to Galaxy Tab 7.7 in Germany. In response, Samsung released a statement through its vice president of public relations, Kim Titus:

Samsung respects the court’s decision (The District Court in Dusseldorf) made on September 2 and therefore decided not to display any more the GALAXY Tab 7.7 in IFA. However, we believe it severely limits consumer choice in Germany. Samsung will pursue all available measures, including legal options, to defend its intellectual property rights and ensure its innovative products remain available to German consumers.

Source: FossPatents