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Apple's patent war with Samsung just tilted in Steve Jobs's favor. On the same day that Apple briefly surpassed Exxon to be come the most valuable company on the market, Apple also won a lawsuit in Dusseldorf, Germany that provides them with a huge advantage in tablets. The Wall Street Journal reports on the case:

The preliminary injunction bars Samsung from distributing its Galaxy Tab 10.1 touchscreen tablet throughout most of Europe, with the exception of the Netherlands. The device, which was released earlier this summer and runs on Google Inc.'s Android operating system, is widely considered to be the most promising competitor to Apple's iPad, which has dominated the market since its release last year.

According to The Telegraph, an appeal is possible but will take at least a month before being heard. Even then it would be the same judge. An Apple spokesperson explained Samsung's infringement in no gentle terms. "It's no coincidence that Samsung's latest products look a lot like the iPhone and iPad, from the shape of the hardware to the user interface and even the packaging. This kind of blatant copying is wrong, and we need to protect Apple's intellectual property when companies steal our ideas."

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