The epic, globe-spanning legal battle between Samsung and Apple continues today with developments in both Australia and the U.S. First up, the Wall Street Journal is reporting this morning that Samsung has attempted to strike a deal with Apple in Australia that, if accepted by the Cupertino firm, could have the Galaxy Tab 10.1 on Australian shelves as soon as next week. Last month saw the Australian Tab 10.1 launch pushed back twice due to complaints from Apple. The details of this proposed deal aren't known, but Apple lawyer Stephen Burley said that his company could benefit from the agreement, explaining that "(Samsung's) inconvenience would be diminished and we would be comforted" if an agreement is reached. Justice Annabelle Bennett said that the deal wouldn't give Samsung any kind of final answer in the battle between the two firms, but Samsung attorney David Catterns answered by saying that it would at least get the Tab 10.1 on shelves before the all-important holiday shopping season.

Moving on to the Samsung/Apple battle taking place on our home soil, it's been revealed that T-Mobile has joined Verizon in backing Samsung here in the U.S. T-Mobile submitted a court filing claiming that Apple's injunction against Samsung and the Galaxy S 4G and Galaxy Tab 10.1, among other devices, is a "is a drastic and extraordinary measure" that would "unnecessarily harm" both Magenta and its customers. "At this late date, T-Mobile could not find comparable replacement products for the 2011 holiday season," T-Mobile said in its filing.

T-Mobile's statement in the Samsung v. Apple case is similar to the one we heard from Verizon earlier this month. Verizon backed Samsung in the legal battle because it feels that an Apple injunction would not only harm Verizon and its customers, but that it would also hinder the expansion of Big Red's 4G LTE network and the job growth that comes with that expansion. It remains to be seen whether or not Verizon and T-Mobile's filings will help Samsung in any way, but it's interesting (although a little unsurprising) to see the two carriers side with Samsung. Anyone think that Verizon and T-Mobile will help swing the case in Samsung's direction? And getting back to Australia, what do you think the odds are that Apple accepts Samsung's deal?

Via WSJ, Reuters