Perhaps in what might be read as a wake-up call for Apple, the Cupertino, Calif., gadget powerhouse was just served a dose of reality before a Dusseldorf court in Germany. A quick recap: Apple secured a sales ban on Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 in September on the grounds of too many similarities and patent infringement.

Samsung then re-engineered its device and re-introduced it under the Galaxy Tab 10.1N moniker, but Apple pushed for an injunction of that model, too. Today at the Dusseldorf court, presiding judge Johanna Brueckner-Hofmann made it known that Apple was pushing its luck with a request for an injunction.

According to Bloomberg, she said:

Reuters quoted Judge Brueckner-Hofmann as saying:

According to fresh data by Bitkom, a technology and telecommunications association, Germany’s tablet market is worth an estimated 2.1 million units this year. The warning from Germany arrived after Justice Annabelle Bennett lifted a sales ban on Samsung’s Galaxy tablet in Australia on Nov. 30, prompting Apple to claim it would appeal to the High Court. Encouraged by those developments, Samsung recently  advertised its device as “the tablet Apple tried to stop.”

The Galaxy Tab 10.1N is a reengineered version of the original Galaxy Tab 10.1 with an added metal frame around the edges. Apple’s lawyers went to great lengths to describe in court documents how Samsung should redesign its device so that it does not infringe upon Apple’s patents. Here is a quick recap of what the lawyers for Apple wrote (believe it or not, it’s true):

• Shapes that are not rectangular with four flat sides or that do not have four rounded corners. • Front surfaces that are not completely flat or clear and that have substantial adornment. • Thick frames rather than a thin rim around the front surface. • Profiles that are not thin relative to [Apple patent D’889] or that have a cluttered appearance.

Is Samsung were to follow these guidelines, the non-infringing Galaxy Tab, cynics would claim, might look something like this.

  • Wow, Apple actually got Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 banned in Germany (9to5mac.com)
  • Samsung gets relief in Australia as Federal Court lifts Galaxy Tab sales ban (9to5google.com)
  • Samsung markets Galaxy Tab as “the tablet Apple tried to stop” (9to5mac.com)
  • Apple sues Samsung over smartphone and tablet cases, too (9to5mac.com)