A UK judge has ordered Apple to publish notices on its own website and in British newspapers, stating that Samsung did not copy its designs for the iPad.

Apple must post a statement on its own UK site and in the press, including several magazines, outlining the 9 July ruling that Samsung did not infringe on iPad designs with its Galaxy Tab range of tablets. The notice on the site must be online for six months.

Judge Colin Birss said that this step must be taken to correct any wrong impression the public may have received through Apple's allegations.

Richard Hacon, one of Apple's lawyers, suggested that the judgement was essentially forcing the Cupertino company to publish an advert for one of its major rivals. "No company likes to refer to a rival on its website," he said.

However, although Apple has to publish notices outlining the original ruling, it doesn't have to stop publicly claiming that the Galaxy tablets infringe its iPad designs. Judge Birss blocked a Samsung injunction to stop the US firm from doing so, saying: "They are entitled to their opinion."

Previously, after the 9 July UK case ruling was announced, Apple told Pocket-lint, "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, as we've said many times before, we need to protect Apple's intellectual property when companies steal our ideas."

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