Samsung requested the Australian court to fast-track its appeal against the banning of the sale of its Galaxy Tab tablets in the country and it has been approved by the court, according to a Reuters report.
In its ongoing patent disputes with Apple, the South Korean company saw the sale of its tablets banned in Australia earlier this month due to legal action initiated by Apple in August this year. Samsung even considered scrapping the launch of the Galaxy Tab in Australia entirely, fearing that the device would be dead on arrival after being launched this close to the holiday season.
Samsung has been dealt some severe blows in this continuing saga of patent litigation, as Apple turned down its “comforting” deal in the Australian Galaxy Tab dispute and U.S. district judge Lucy Koh found the company’s tablets to be infringing on Apple’s patents.
It hasn’t fared well in its counterstrike on Apple either, with both Italy and The Netherlands turning down the sales ban the company tried to impose on Apple’s products in those countries. Samsung has even resorted to such tricks as trying to ambush Apple’s iPhone 4S launch in Sydney, even as it continues to copy Apple with almost embarrassing regularity.
Therefore, however small it may be, this is still a win for Samsung as it struggles to regain some of the lost ground in its patent fight with Apple. Australian judge Lindsay Foster approved Samsung’s request for an expedited hearing but hasn’t set a date for it yet. If Samsung loses this appeal, however, it may be curtains for any hope of the Galaxy Tab ever launching in the land of the kangaroo.
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