The folks at Google certainly aren't having a very good 4th of July after Samsung lost its appeal over a preliminary injunction granted to Apple, which effectively shuts down sales of the flagship Galaxy Nexus handset until a software patch arrives to address the infringement.
Last Friday, Federal Judge Lucy Koh put the smackdown on Samsung, granting Apple's request for a preliminary injunction against Google's flagship Galaxy Nexus smartphone. Samsung quickly appealed, but Koh fired back with a flat-out denial, effectively banning the sale of the Android 4.0 handset.
Although Google hopes to dodge the patent infringement issue with an over-the-air software patch that could arrive anytime, The Verge is reporting that the search giant has already pulled the device from its virtual store shelves on Google Play, where the Galaxy Nexus is simply listed as "coming soon" (as shown above).
But that issue may only be temporary, with Google now claiming the handset will start shipping again next week -- with Android 4.1 "Jelly Bean" preinstalled, which presumably addresses Apple's complaints. The HSPA+ handset is now listed on Google Play as "soon with Android 4.1, Jelly Bean".
In order to temporarily stomp out sales of the Galaxy Nexus, Apple had to post a $96 million bond, which could be used to cover any losses Samsung might incur should the court ultimately reverse its decision on the injunction.
Google and Samsung suffered a two-prong defeat last week in its patent wars with Apple, with Judge Koh also putting a stop to sales of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet -- although that injunction is far less troubling for Google, who is no doubt more focused on its own upcoming Nexus 7 tablet, which begins shipping later this month.
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