Australian retailer Kogan stops selling the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 after Apple threatens to sue

Despite selling iPads too, and at lower prices than others, since it gets them directly from the Chinese factories, the Australian retailer Kogan has been threatened with a lawsuit by Apple, if it continues to sell and market the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1.

Samsung agreed to stop these activities Down Under until the court hearing on a possible patent infringement injunction against its Android tablet. Kogan was evidently engaged in marketing the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 heavily and received a letter from Freehills, Apple's Australian law firm, that it is infringing on patents held for the iPad with this behavior, so the retailer ceased all activity related with the Galaxy Tab 10.1.

Apple also wanted to know which entity Kogan got Samsung's tablet from, but the electronics store denied the request. David Shafer, Kogan's executive director, has commented in a statement:

There is a fine line between legitimately enforcing your intellectual property on the one hand, and just trying to stifle competition on the other - in our view Apple is very precariously walking that line.

Still, Ruslan Kogan, the company's founder (pictured on the thumbnail), has said they caved despite believing they haven't violated any laws, because they don't need a legal battle with Apple on their hands: "All we are trying to do is to provide the latest technology at the best prices. Pointless litigation is not our specialty".

Samsung is countersuing Apple in Australia for violating its own patents related to the 3G standard, in which Apple says the Koreans have planted a time bomb, so we'll see what comes out of this tit-for-tat Down Under.