Galaxy Tab 10.1 vs iPad 2: Samsung Sales Ban Lifted in Australia After Apple Appeal Gets Denied

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A few days ago a court in Australia decided to lift the injunction obtained by Apple earlier this year against Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 sales in the region, but the judge allowed time for Apple to appeal the ruling before the South Korean company could sell its flagship Android tablet in the region.

Apple did  appeal the verdict, but the company was not able to persuade the Australian High Court to maintain the sales ban against the Galaxy Tab 10.1. As a direct result, Samsung will be able to start selling the tablet in the country and take advantage of the time left to Christmas to try to convince consumers to purchase the device.

The victory in Australia is pretty big news for Samsung, as the company was not so lucky in its legal predicament with Apple. Just earlier today we heard that Samsung was denied an injunction against iPhone 4S sales in France, with experts expecting similar rulings in other countries where Samsung has attempted to stop Apple from selling its flagship smartphone. In fact, a similar case is set to go to courts in March and April of next year in Australia too, and it will be interesting to see whether Samsung manages to obtain any sales bans against Apple in the country.

Samsung doged an even more dangerous bullet in the U.S., an even more important market for both companies, where Apple was denied a preliminary injunction against Galaxy Tab 10.1 sales recently.

The legal battle between the two companies is a very complex one that’s extended over four continents, with over 30 patent-based suits filed in 10 countries by either one or the other. Apple sued first in April, accusing Samsung of copying its iconic iPhone and iPad designs with the Galaxy family of tablets and smartphones, but the South Korean Android device maker quickly countered with lawsuits of its own alleging that Apple is violating various 3G-related Samsung patents. Since then, the number of suits and counter-suits has been constantly increasing, and while we’ve seen various rulings in favor of one or the others – although Apple has been mostly winning so far – the fight is far from over.