With the Regional Court of Dusseldorf having granted Apple a preliminary injunction against the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, the sale and marketing of the iPad-like Samsung tablet has been blocked across all of Europe except the Netherlands.

In its lawsuit, Apple had accused Samsung for “copying” Apple's user interface and design features for its Galaxy series of smartphones and tablets. According to Apple’s argument, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 - which is the newest tablet launched by the Korean manufacturer - adopts a similar screen size to the iPad and is marginally thinner than the iPad 2.

Apple’s claims have been backed by the judge who has ruled that Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 has infringed on Apple’s intellectual property by copying elements of the iPad 2.

Samsung can appeal against the judgment; but, in the meantime, the injunction against the Galaxy Tab 10.1 will still stand. In fact, it is possible for Apple to apply for a pan-European injunction against the Samsung tablet in any country; and, in case that is upheld, the injunction will cover all of the European Union.

Terming the court verdict as “disappointing,” a Samsung spokeswoman said in a statement released to CNET: “Samsung is disappointed with the court's decision and we intend to act immediately to defend our intellectual property rights through the ongoing legal proceedings in Germany and will continue to actively defend these rights throughout the world.”