Federal Court Judge Annabelle Bennett has said that Apple should consider handing over UK and US sales figures on the iPad and iPad 2 if they hope to have any chance of achieving a ban on Samsung's Galaxy Tab in Australia. The numbers would help her determine if sales of the Galaxy Tab would affect iPad sales down under.
The judge is leaving it up to Apple to decide whether or not they want to submit the data for consideration and has denied Samsung's request for them, says Bloomberg. Apple is strongly urged to comply with the request, as the judge made it clear that she can't draw any positive assumptions on the impact of Galaxy Tab sales otherwise.
This is just the next chapter in the Apple vs. Samsung legal battle that has been unfolding for several months in multiple countries. Earlier this year Apple sued Samsung in California over Galaxy phones and tablets which prompted a countersuit by Samsung less than a week later alleging patent infringement on their smartphone technologies.
In Australia, Apple is arguing that the Galaxy Tab is too similar to the iPad and would hurt sales of their tablet in the region. Samsung claims that people want an Android product and they are simply delivering said product to market, adding that their device won't impact Apple's sales.
Apple has yet to make a decision on the sales figures, but being the super secret company that they are, I would be surprised if they elected to do so.