(CN) - A German court gave Samsung the go-ahead to sell its redesigned Galaxy tablet in that country, affirming a preliminary assessment that it is no longer a copycat of Apple's iPad.
Germany joins a growing list of countries, including the United States, the Netherlands, and Australia which have lifted bans on the Galaxy tablet.
Samsung is still locked in patent and design disputes with Apple in more than 20 countries worldwide.
A state court in Dusseldorf issued the ruling Thursday, saying there were now "clear differences" between the Galaxy Tab 10.1N -- redesigned for the German market -- and Apple's iPad 2.
Apple has claimed that Samsung "slavishly" copied both the iPhone and iPad for its Galaxy line of products. Thursday's ruling overturns a ban from a German appeals court last week.
Samsung is both Apple's supplier and competitor.
Samsung's victory is but another marker in a long global war against Apple over intellectual property rights. The South Korean company's products, which run on Google's Android software, are Apple's biggest challengers in the growing mobile technology market.
The European Commission is continuing its formal investigation of Samsung for breaking antitrust laws and failing to license patents on fair, reasonable and nondiscriminatory terms.
Samsung has countersued Apple in Germany for infringements of mobile technology patents. A court in Mannheim ruled against Samsung in cases involving two of the patents, and will decide a third case in March.
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