German Court Rules Against Samsung in Apple Fight

A German appeals court has upheld a decision prohibiting Samsung Electronics Co. from selling two of its tablet computers in Germany, agreeing with Apple Inc. that they too closely resemble the iPad2.

The Duesseldorf state court ruled Tuesday that neither the South Korean company's Galaxy Tab 10.1 nor the Galaxy Tab 8.9 could be sold in Germany because they were in violation of unfair competition laws.

But it said the successor Galaxy Tab 10.1 N is not affected by the ruling.

The ruling comes as part of a string of court battles between California-based Apple and Samsung over their tablet computers. In December, a Sydney court ruled that Samsung could sell its Galaxy tablet computers in Australia.