Samsung's legal victory on Apple in Australia

Samsung Electronics' tablet computer, the Galaxy Tab, will be available to consumers in Australia in the coming days, after the South Korean electronics giant scored a victory against Apple in a legal battle that had blocked the product from going on sale.

Samsung welcomed the court's decision and said the Galaxy Tab 10.1 will be ready for sale in Australia in time for the Christmas shopping season.

The Australian High Court denied Apple's appeal to an earlier court ruling that overturned an injunction placed on Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 citing violation of its patent. 

The recent ruling is expected to give Samsung a stronger footing in a legal battle it is involved in with Apple in several countries across the world, including the United States. 

"The Full Court of Australia decision on November 30 clearly affirmed our view that Apple's claims lack merit and that an injunction should not have been imposed on the Galaxy Tab 10.1," Samsung said in a news release, referring to the earlier ruling that lifted the injunction. 

Apple claims that Samsung's newer Galaxy Tab 10.1 copies the iPad's look and infringes upon its design patents. Samsung offers $2 smartphone.

"It is no coincidence that Samsung's latest products look a lot like the iPhone and iPad, from the shape of the hardware to the user interface and even the packaging. This kind of blatant copying is wrong and, as we have said many times before, we need to protect Apple's intellectual property when companies steal our ideas," according to a statement from Apple. 

Apple recently was denied a preliminary injunction on several of Samsung's mobile phones and tablets in America by a San Jose court. The South Korean electronics giant said it is confident that it can prove the distinctiveness of its mobile products when the two companies battle it out in court next year. 

Samsung separately filed a complaint back in June with the United States International Trade Commission claiming Apple has violated five patents related to wireless communications standards and mobile device user interface. The South Korean company requested a permanent exclusion order that would block the entry of all Apple products in question, including the iPad and iPhone series, into the United States.