An Australian court has lifted the ban on the sale of Samsung's latest tablet computer, rejecting an attempt by rival Apple to have the ban extended because of alleged patent infringement.

The ruling allows the South Korea technology giant to offer its Galaxy 10.1 device to Australian customers in time for the Christmas shopping season.

Australia's High Court on Friday upheld an earlier ruling by a lower court that said the temporary sales ban was effectively providing a legal victory for Apple, since Samsung's device only had a shelf life of about 12 months.

Samsung and Apple are engaged in an ongoing legal scuffle, with each company accusing the other of infringing its copyrights in dozens of countries.

The Australian legal dispute has focused on Apple's complaint that Samsung has copied touch-screen technology used in its popular iPads.

Samsung's device, which is considered the main alternative to the iPad, has been kept off Australian shelves since July.