's patent lawsuit The Supreme Court of Australia has confirmed the lifting of the ban on sales of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet in the country, which was introduced in October as part of Apple against Samsung.

For the first time, an Australian court lifted the ban on sales of a Samsung tablet at the end of November . However, Apple's lawyers filed an appeal, as a result of which the sales ban was extended until this week.

The decision marks a significant success for the South Korean electronics maker in a patent dispute with Apple that began in April this year when the US company accused Samsung of copying the design of its mobile devices. In turn, Samsung filed patent lawsuits against Apple in a number of countries, including demands to ban sales of its devices.

Lifting the ban will allow Samsung to sell the tablet until the final stage of the trial, which will begin no earlier than March next year. This way, Samsung will be able to take advantage of the holiday season, which traditionally sees a surge in consumer activity.

Apple and Samsung, world leaders in the smartphone and tablet market, have exchanged patent claims in 20 countries. In addition, last Friday an American court refused to impose a ban on sales in the United States of three smartphones and one tablet manufactured by Samsung following a lawsuit from Apple. The judge noted that Samsung still violates a number of design patents for gadgets owned by Apple. However, the American company was unable to prove that these violations cause serious harm to its business. Apple's lawyers have already filed an appeal against the US court's decision.

According to analysts, by the end of 2011, more than 50 million tablet computers will be sold worldwide, and Apple will continue to dominate this market.

Samsung has achieved permission to sell tablets in Australia during proceedings with Apple - Gazeta.Ru