A British judge has ordered Apple to publish a notice on its UK website and in UK newspapers that Samsung Electronics did not copy its designs for the iPad.

Judge Colin Birss said yesterday that Apple’s notice should refer to the July 9 London court ruling that Samsung’s Galaxy tablet PCs did not infringe Apple’s registered designs.

News service Bloomberg reported that the judge wants the notice to be posted on Apple’s UK home page for six months and published in the Financial Times, the Daily Mail, Guardian Mobile magazine and T3 to correct any impression that Samsung copied the Apple design.

Bloomberg said Apple’s lawyer told the court that the order meant his client would, in effect, have to publish an advertisement for Samsung. “No company likes to refer to a rival on its website,” he said.

Apple and Samsung have been fighting over copying allegations in courts around the world.

In a statement issued after the hearing, Samsung said: “Should Apple continue to make excessive legal claims based on such generic designs, innovation in the industry could be harmed and consumer choice unduly limited.”