It said the district court in California, which had issued the ban in June, had "abused its discretion⁴ in entering an injunction".

 

Earlier this month, a sales ban on Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet computer in the US was also lifted.

 

The two firms are involved in a legal tussle⁵（争斗，扭打） over patent infringement⁶ claims.

 

Samsung welcomed the latest decision saying it "confirms that the role of patent law is to protect innovation and not to unreasonably⁷ stifle⁸ competition and restrict consumer choice". 

 

"We will continue to take all appropriate measures to ensure the availability of our innovative⁹ products," the South Korean manufacturer said.

 

 

The smartphone segment is one of the fastest growing sectors¹¹ for phone manufacturers and Apple and Samsung are among the biggest players in the arena¹².

 

Apple, which makes the iPhone, was one of the early pioneers in the segment, while Samsung, which manufactures the Galaxy range of smartphones, has made rapid strides in the sector¹⁰ gaining a strong share of key global markets in recent years.

 

However, its success has coincided with a growing legal battle with Apple, spread across various countries.

 

Earlier this year, a California court awarded Apple $1.05bn in damages, after ruling several of its software and design technologies had been infringed¹³ by Samsung. 

 

Samsung has since challenged that verdict and called for a retrial.

 

Analysts¹⁴ said that given the tremendous growth potential of the sector, the legal battle between the two firms was likely to continue.

 

"The intensity¹⁵ of the competition is so high, that it is less about billions of dollars in fines but more about slowing the competition," Manoj Menon, managing director of Frost & Sullivan, told the BBC. 

 

He explained that Apple feels that Samsung has infringed its patents, which it believes has played a role in Samsung's success.

 

"Apple will try and slow the rapid growth trajectory¹⁶ of Samsung," he said.

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