Apple ordered by London High Court to apologize again over copycat claims

British judges say Apple (AAPL) 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 was ordered to print an apology on its website after British judges rejected its claim that Samsung ripped off its designs when creating its own tablet computer, the Galaxy Tab.

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ZDNet reported that last month, a U.K. High Court appeals judge ruled in favor of Samsung, and ordered Apple to run "advertisements" in British newspapers and on its website to "correct the damaging impression."

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.