Apple must apologize again over copycat claims

The iPad Mini is shown in San Jose, Calif., Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2012. Apple Inc. is refusing to compete on price with its rivals in the tablet market, it’s pricing its new, smaller iPad well above the competition. On Tuesday, the company revealed the iPad Mini, with a screen that’s about two-thirds the size of the full-size model, and said it will cost $329 and up. AP

LONDON— British judges say Apple needs to apologize once more for falsely claiming that South Korea’s Samsung copied its iPad, the latest embarrassing episode in the tech rivals’ world-spanning patent battle.

Apple Inc. was ordered to print an apology on its website after British judges repeatedly rejected its claim that Samsung Electronics Co. ripped off its designs when creating its own tablet computer, the Galaxy Tab.

Apple did post an apology, but judges at London’s High Court ruled Thursday that it didn’t go far enough and ordered a new one posted to its site within 48 hours.

Samsung and Apple are locked in a series of international lawsuits over alleged copyright violations, including a California case which saddled Samsung with a $1 billion fine for copying Apple’s design.