US appeals court reverses sales ban on Samsung smartphone

WASHINGTON1 (REUTERS) - An appeals court in the United States on Thursday overturned a preliminary injunction banning the sale of Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Nexus smartphone, sending the case back to a California court for reconsideration.

Apple filed a lawsuit in February accusing Samsung of infringing eight patents, and asked a California court to ban the sale of smartphones it said infringed on its patents.

The lower court agreed.

However, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which previously put a stay on the injunction, ruled that the district court in California "abused its discretion in entering an injunction".