Samsung Electronics filed an appeal against a German court's ban on sales of its Galaxy tablet computers, and accused Apple of patent infringement in Australia, deepening disputes between the companies over smartphone technology.

The company filed the appeal late last week against a court ruling won by Apple to block Galaxy Tab sales in Germany, James Chung, a Seoul-based spokesman for Samsung, said by phone. The South Korean company also filed on Friday a cross claim with the Federal Court of Australia alleging Apple's iPhone and iPad infringe seven patents related to wireless communications standards, it said in an email.

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Apple, based in Cupertino, California, and Samsung have been embroiled in a global battle over market share for both phones and tablet computers. Apple has accused Samsung of “slavishly” copying the iPad and iPhone and has had success in curtailing Galaxy sales in Australia and Germany. There are also lawsuits pending in the US and Asia.

“Samsung has a proud history of innovation in the mobile industry,” the Suwon, South Korea-based company said after filing the Australian suit. “It has invested continuously in R&D, design and technology to produce our innovative and cutting-edge mobile devices.”