A lawyer holds an Apple iPad and a Samsung Tablet-PC at a court in Germany, where it was ruled that neither the South Korean company’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 nor the Galaxy Tab 8.9 could be sold there. (Photo: AP)

BRUSSELS, Belgium

Samsung took a hit in its battle against arch-rival Apple yesterday, when the European Union announced it will investigate whether it is illegally trying to hinder competitors and Germany blocked sales of some of its tablets.

Samsung Electronics and Apple Inc are engaged in a strategic war over patents in many countries across the world as they try to draw market share away from each other.

The EU’s antitrust watchdog thinks the South Korean company may be overstepping the bounds, however, and launched a formal investigation of whether Samsung is using law suits over key patents on 3G wireless technology to hinder competitors — including Apple.

In Germany, an appeals court ruled in favour of Apple in a separate case, saying Samsung could not sell its Galaxy Tab 10.1 nor the Galaxy Tab 8.9 in the country because they too closely resembled the iPad2, in violation of unfair competition laws.

“Samsung wrongly used the enormous reputation and prestige of the iPad,” Duesseldorf state court Presiding Judge Wilhelm Berneke wrote in his ruling.

Samsung’s successor tablet, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 N, was not affected by the ruling, and the company said that while the decision was disappointing, it was largely irrelevant.

“Today’s ruling is of little factual relevance due to the new model Galaxy Tab 10.1 N, and … the decision therefore is of no indicative value with respect to other legal proceedings involving the Galaxy Tab 10.1 N,” Samsung said in an e-mail to The Associated Press.

“Samsung will continue to take all appropriate measures, including legal action, to ensure continued consumer access to our innovative products.”