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Sydney - An Australian court on Wednesday reversed a ban on the sale of Samsung Electronics' Galaxy tablet computers in the country, handing it a rare victory against rival Apple in the firms' intensifying global patent war.
Apple was granted an injunction against Samsung in October, temporarily preventing Australian sales of the Galaxy 10.1 tab - the hottest competitor to Apple's iPad, which dominates global tablet sales.
The Federal Court decision to support Samsung's appeal is a boost for the South Korean technology company ahead of the busy pre-Christmas shopping season, although the Australian market is not large.
Samsung said it welcomed the decision but the ruling did not mean it could resume sales immediately.
Justice Lindsay Foster said the interlocutory injunction granted by Justice Annabelle Bennett last month should be immediately discharged.
But he also said he would grant a stay on orders until Friday 16:00 (05:00 GMT) and said Apple would have to go to the high court if it wanted this extended any longer.
Apple's lawyer declined to comment to reporters at the hearing.
Apple and Samsung have been locked in an acrimonious battle in 10 countries involving smartphones and tablets since April, with the Australian dispute centring on touch screen technology used in Samsung's new tablet.
Apple successfully moved to block Samsung from selling its tablets in Germany, and a case in the Netherlands has forced Samsung to modify some smartphone models.
Apple also filed a preliminary injunction request in Germany on Monday to ban sales of Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1N, a redesigned version of 10.1 inch galaxy tab model, whose sales are banned in the country.
The intensifying quarrel between Samsung and Apple had triggered expectations some of the pair's $5bn-plus relationship may be up for grabs.
Samsung counts Apple as its biggest customer and makes parts central to Apple's mobile devices.
The legal battle in Australia doesn't stop at tablet computers. Samsung has sought to block sales of Apple's latest iPhone 4S, which went on sale in early October, by filing preliminary sales injunction requests in four countries, including Australia.
An Australian court has agreed to hear that case in March and April 2012, with sales allowed to continue as normal ahead of the hearing on alleged patent infringements.
Shares in Samsung, valued at around $140bn, were up 0.3% in a Seoul market down 0.1%.
