Apple believes the Android operating system has copied a lot of what makes iOS special, and it's looking to defend its turf. Late founder and CEO Steve Jobs took a hard line when it came to defending its patents, and like other technology companies, Apple has been aggressive in protecting its intellectual property. So Apple picking fights with everyone, Samsung, HTC, even Nokia.

A United States judge has denied Apple’s formal request for an injunction against Samsung’s Galaxy family of smartphones and tablets. “It is not clear that an injunction on Samsung’s accused devices would prevent Apple from being irreparably harmed,” San Jose U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh said. Samsung was pleased with Koh’s decision. “This ruling confirms our long-held view that Apple’s arguments lack merit,” Samsung lawyer Jason Kim said. Apple has accused Samsung of “slavishly copying” its products and could still come out as the winner in the patent infringement lawsuit. The two companies have similar cases underway around the world. An Australian judge recently lifted a ban on the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Australia after ruling the initial injunction was “not terribly fair” to Samsung. Samsung released a tweaked Galaxy Tab 10.1N after the original model was banned in Germany, though the new model is now the target of an Apple complaint as well, and lawsuits are going on in Japan and France, too

via brg