Samsung scored a major victory over Apple in their global patent war – an Australian court overturned a ban on the sale of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1.
Starting at 4 pm local time on Friday, retailers will be allowed to sell Samsung’s Galaxy Tab for the first time since sale of the tablet was blocked in October of this year.
Victory in Australia is not assured for Samsung just yet, however. Justice Lindsay Foster allowed for a stay on the ban until Friday to give Apple enough time to potentially appeal in the High Court. Should Apple do that, the ban could be extended.
Still, Samsung is counting this as a victory in their heated battle against Apple. The company said in a statement:
“Samsung Electronics Australia is pleased with today’s unanimous decision by the Federal Court to lift the preliminary injunction on sales of the Samsung GALAXY Tab 10.1. We believe the ruling clearly affirms that Apple’s legal claims lack merit.”
Even if sales of the Galaxy Tab remain authorized, Samsung still has a long way to go before they can take down Apple. The two are engaged in legal battles in Japan, France and Italy, and Apple was also successful in blocking sales of the tablet in Germany.