A German court has lifted a ban on sales of Samsung's new tablet computer in most European countries that it initially imposed following a complaint by US rival Apple.Samsung still cannot sell its Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Germany however, a spokesman for the tribunal in Duesseldorf, western Germany, told AFP.

"Nothing has changed for Samsung's German division, nor for products sold in Germany by Samsung Korea," the spokesman said.

On August 9, the court had banned sales of the tablet computer throughout Europe, though the Netherlands was not affected for complex procedural reasons.

Samsung quickly announced it would appeal the decision and a hearing is scheduled in Duesseldorf on August 25.

The ban is the latest development to mark the history of rivalry between Apple and Samsung.

They have filed complaints against each other over their respective smart phone models, the iPhone and Galaxy S, both claiming patent violations.