Galaxy Nexus a step closer to being banned in US after Apple legal dispute

Apple has been granted a preliminary injunction against arch-rival Samsung in the ongoing legal conflict between the two corporations. This injunction could lead to the banning of Samsung's Galaxy Nexus handset in the US.

According to court reports obtained by The Verge, the injunction focuses on the '604 patent, which deals with "unified search" specifically relating to Siri.

While all complaints in the case filed by Apple were upheld to some degree, this particular patent was deemed critically important, as both Siri and Google's Quick Search Box were pushed as major features for the two respective devices (and, therefore, it could be argued that the sales of one directly affects the sales of the other).

The ruling means that should Apple pay the relatively minor sum of $96 million in levy charges, the Galaxy Nexus will be forced off US shelves until the legal dispute is resolved.

This is likely to be the biggest blow to both Samsung - and by extension Google - since its prolonged global legal battles with Apple kicked off.

It is, however, just a preliminary ruling for now, so don't think this constant back-and-forth in the world's courts is going to end any time soon.