The patent dispute between Apple and Samsung was resolved in an unexpected way.

The patent battle between Apple and Samsung has taken an unexpected turn. Apple is effectively forced to advertise its South Korean competitor's devices for free.

According to the UK court's ruling, Apple is required to publish a public notice on its UK website and in UK newspapers such as the Financial Times, Daily Mail, Guardian Mobile, and T3, stating that Samsung did not copy Apple's device designs. This notice must remain in effect for six months.

A London court previously found Samsung not guilty of infringing Apple's design rights to the iPad. The judge also stated that the Galaxy Tab is "not as cool" as the iPad, so consumers are unlikely to confuse them.

Now, the judge has effectively forced Apple to apologize for its statement. Apple's notices will serve as free advertising for the South Korean manufacturer, even hosted on the website of its main competitor. Apple considers this unacceptable and therefore plans to seek an appeals court overturning the verdict.

The London court's verdict is the third in the patent dispute between the companies since early July. The first two were handed down in the United States.