“A U.S. judge on Monday rejected a request by Samsung Electronics Co. to lift a ban on U.S. sales of its Galaxy Tab 10.1, dealing a third legal setback to the South Korean firm in just a week, as it braces for a make-or-break patent trial later this month with Apple Inc.,” Erin Geiger Smith reports for Reuters.

“U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose, California, rejected Samsung’s request to lift her June 26 order to halt sales of the tablet, which runs on Google Inc’s Android,” Smith reports. “Koh also slapped a pre-trial ban on sales of Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus phone on Friday.”

Smith reports, “Apple sued Samsung last year, accusing the South Korean electronics maker of ‘slavishly’ copying the iPhone and iPad. The case is due to come to court this month and could have implications in other jurisdictions. The affected tablets and smartphones are unlikely to have major impact on Samsung’s earnings, as the firm has since introduced upgraded models. But the back-to-back loss is significant because pre-trial injunctions are rarely granted. The two firms’ U.S. trial is set on July 30. ‘Samsung is disappointed with the court’s decision that denied our motion to stay. We believe today’s ruling will ultimately reduce the availability of superior technological features to consumers in the United States,’ Samsung said in a statement.”

MacDailyNews Take: Oh, gee, then they’ll have to buy real iPads from the company that invented them instead of a knockoff with no apps. There is nothing superior to a real iPad.

“In smartphones, the banned Galaxy Nexus was introduced late last year, and Apple is also seeking a preliminary injunction of the Galaxy S III, the third generation of Samsung’s flagship smartphone, which went on sale late last month in the U.S. market,” Smith reports. “‘The impact on Samsung is limited as shipment volume of Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Nexus are quite small,’ said Lee Sun-tae, an analyst at NH Investment & Securities. ‘Even if Apple wins an injunction request on Galaxy S III, Samsung will have plenty of time to get around it, as it normally takes quite a long time for a court to process such requests.’”

Read more in the full article here.

MacDailyNews Take: In order for Samsung to legally sell their wares, they have to “get around” pesky issues like their slavish theft of another company’s patented IP.

Apple’s out there inventing things, entirely new markets, and Samsung has dedicated themselves to “getting around” the legalities involved in knocking off Apple’s patented innovations.

Samsung employees should be so proud.

We’d tag Samsung “Microsoft II,” but Google beat them to it.