Samsung’s efforts to sell its Galaxy tablet in Australia have been further hampered after the Australian High Court extended the ban on sales of the device by a further week, reports Reuters. The ban on sales of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 was due to expire at 4pm today but will now do so on 9 December.

The extension has been put in place so that the Australian High Court can consider Apple’s appeal against the Australian Federal Court decision on 30 November to overturn a temporary sales ban that dates back to July. The High Court decision will dictate whether sales can resume before a final hearing next year.

The High Court’s Justice John Dyson Heydon said this week’s Federal Court order will "be stayed pending the termination of applicants application for special leave to appeal." Samsung believes Apple has no basis for an appeal and said in a statement that it would "vigorously" oppose it in court.

The two companies are locked in legal battles in a number of countries, with Apple claiming the South Korean electronics giant “slavishly” copied the iPad design for its Galaxy Tab, leading to a sales ban in Germany. Samsung meanwhile claims Apple infringed its patents with the iPhone 4S and has requested sales of the device to be banned in several markets.