Apple rejects Samsung settlement deal in Australia over Galaxy Tab

Apple has rejected Samsung's settlement offer in Australia as part of the long-running legal dispute over the alleged similarity of Samsung's Galaxy Tab to Apple's iPad.

Samsung had offered a deal in an effort to get the device to market in the region in time for Christmas, but Apple declined the offer on principle and said that the company intends to pursue its action.

"The main reason we are here is to prevent the launch (of the Galaxy tablet) and maintain the status quo," Apple lawyer Steven Burley told the court, according to Reuters.

V3 contacted Samsung for its reaction to the decision, but the vendor declined to comment. Apple had yet to reply at the time of publication.

Samsung is already on the back foot against Apple in several territories, as courts have issued bans in Germany and the Netherlands and Apple is pursuing similar injunctions in the US.

However, Samsung has received the backing of T-Mobile and Verizon in the dispute, both of which argue that a ban on new devices is bad for business in the run up to Christmas.

In response Samsung had asked the courts to allow the company to see designs of Apple's forthcoming iPhone 5 and iPad 3, but these requests have not been granted.

Apple is set to launch the next version of the iPhone on Tuesday, and analysts are predicting that the company may follow Samsung's lead and produce a phone with a much larger screen as well as near field communication capabilities.