A British judge has ruled that Samsung’s Galaxy Tab does not infringe Apple’s intellectual property, but the ruling was not all good news for Samsung, as the court did not seem to impressed by Samsung's gear.

High Court judge Colin Birss told the court that Galaxy tablets lack the same understated simplicity which is the hallmark of Apple’s iPad. “They are not as cool,” he said.

Samsung welcomed the ruling, saying it affirms the company’s claims that Galaxy Tab products do not infringe Apple’s registered design rights.

“Should Apple continue to make excessive legal claims in other countries based on such generic designs, innovation in the industry could be harmed and consumer choice unduly limited,” Samsung reps told the Wall Street Journal.

This is the second legal setback for Apple in Britain in as many weeks. Last week a court ruled that HTC did not infringe Apple’s slide-to-unlock patent, as it was simply too obvious to be patented in the first place.

Apple still claims Samsung is mooching off its success and ripping off its ideas, although the courts seem less inclined to back Apple’s complaints which are slowly turning into frivolous suits.

More here.