Ready for another chapter in the saga that is the legal war between Apple and Samsung? It was revealed today that a Dutch court has dismissed Apple's appeal of a lower court decision that the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 doesn't infringe on design rights held by the Cupertino firm. The lower court decision was handed down back in August 2011, denying the preliminary injunction of the Tab 10.1 that Apple had been seeking. After examining several pieces of prior art, the Dutch appeals court decided that Apple's design right in the case is narrow, which led the court to rule that it had not been infringed. Since none of the prior art shown by Samsung contained all of the characteristics of Apple's design, though, Apple avoided having its right invalidated.

So good news for Samsung, no? Today's decision is just the latest in a ever-growing story of the legal battle between Apple and Samsung, with the most recent blows including a pair of new German lawsuits brought against Samsung by Apple, and a German court rejecting a 3G-related patent claim used by Samsung against Apple. What'll happen next between the two huge tech companies is a mystery, but at this point it seems like more of a question of when we'll see the next shot traded rather than if we'll see another. We'll let you know when it happens.

Via Reuters, FOSS Patents