Apple and Samsung both saw victories in the latest rounds of their legal battles, which took in courts on two different continents. It was suggested that the fact that the companies are both seeing victories in the multiple court cases that are active may increase the pressure on them to settle, as it seems unlikely that either side will gain a conclusive upper-hand via the legal process.

The Australian High Court denied Apple’s call for a ban on the sale of the Galaxy Tab 10.1, meaning that Samsung will be able to have the device in stores in time for the lucrative Christmas holiday sales period.

Bloomberg reports that Apple had failed to persuade the courts that it could win on appeal, and denied the company a hearing. The decision is said to “end  Apple’s four-month effort to keep the iPad’s biggest rival out of Australia,” based on claims it infringes patents related to touch-screen technology.

It was noted that extending the ban on sales would have effectively determined the outcome of the case, because it would have meant that by the time the device reached consumers, it would have been out-of-date.

In contrast, Bloomberg said that Samsung failed to win a court order blocking Apple from sales of its iPhone 4S in France. A court in Paris rejected Samsung’s request for an emergency order, while it continues to review the company’s patent infringement claims.

The South Korean company sought to block sales of the device in a number of European markets after it was launched in October, arguing that Apple has infringed a number of its patents. According to the paper, the judge in the case described Samsung’s call for a ban as “disproportionate,” although not “abusive.”

Last week, it was reported that a US court had rejected Apple’s attempts to get Samsung’s Galaxy-branded devices blocked from sale in the market, enabling it to capitalise on demand for its latest Android-powered products in the market – including 4G versions of its Galaxy S2 smartphone.