A U.S. judge yesterday rejected a request by Samsung Electronics Co. to lift a pre-trial injunction against sales of its Galaxy Nexus phone, another legal setback for the South Korean firm ahead of an upcoming court battle with Apple Inc.

Last week, U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose, California, granted Apple’s request to block sales of the smart phone. Samsung had asked the court to stay the injunction pending resolution of an appeal.

On Tuesday, Koh rejected a similar request to lift a ban on the U.S. sales of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1, a competitor of Apple’s iPad.

The two injunctions were significant victories for Apple, as such pre-trial injunctions are rarely granted.

Apple and Samsung are waging legal war in 10 countries, accusing each other of patent violations.(SD-Agencies)