Man uses touch screen of Samsung's Galaxy Tab tablet device at IFA consumer electronics fair in Berlin
A man uses the touch screen of Samsung's Galaxy Tab tablet device at the Internationale Funkausstellung (IFA) consumer electronics fair at "Messe Berlin" exhibition centre in Berlin, September 2, 2010. REUTERS

A German court on Friday upheld an injunction requested by Apple barring the sales of Samsung Galaxy tablets in Germany.

Samsung has been locked in a battle with Apple over smartphone and tablet patents since April. The Galaxy devices are seen as among the biggest challengers to Apple's mobile devices, which have achieved runaway success.

In a global intellectual property battle, Apple has claimed the Galaxy line of mobile phones and tablets slavishly copied the iPhone and iPad, and it has sued the Korean firm in the United States, Australia and Korea as well as Europe.

Samsung, whose tablets are based on Google Inc's Android software, has counter-sued Apple.

(Reporting by Nicola Leske)

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