US electronics giant Apple and South Korea's Samsung Electronics who are locked in legal battles, scored partial court victories in Germany on Tuesday.

The Dusseldorf Regional Court ruled that Apple could seek a preliminary ban on Samsung's 7.7in tablet, saying that it infringes Apple design patents. Unlike previous bans the tablet won't be banned just in Germany, it will be removed from store shelves across the whole of Europe, according to inquirer.net.

"Samsung is disappointed with the court's ruling. We will continue to take all available measures, including legal action, to protect our intellectual property rights and defend against Apple's claims to ensure our products remain available to consumers throughout the European Union", said Samsung.

But the German court denied the cappuccino company a ban on Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1N tablet, a modified version of the original Galaxy Tab 10.1. However, given that Samsung has announced a successor to the 10.1N, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 2, this decision is unlikely to significantly benefit the Korean electronics giant.

In a statement, Samsung said, "Samsung welcomes the court's ruling which confirms our position that the Galaxy Tab 10.1N does not infringe Apple's intellectual property and does not infringe laws against unfair competition.

The two technology giants are engaged in a legal battle involving dozens of cases worldwide as they struggle for leadership in the hugely lucrative smartphone and tablet computer market.

Apple launched legal action in April last year, accusing Samsung of "slavishly" copying its iPhone and iPad designs. Samsung has focussed its own lawsuits on technology patents rather than design.

In November, the Duesseldorf regional court had slapped a temporary ban on Samsung's previous model, the Galaxy Tab 10.1, saying it copied the iPad.