A German judge said on Thursday an injunction sought by Apple banning the sale of Samsung's new Galaxy Tab tablet computers in Germany appeared valid because there were overarching similarities to Apple's iPad.

Speaking before Apple and Samsung made their arguments in court, the judge said her view was that the injunction should be upheld. A final decision is expected later on Thursday.

The Duesseldorf court had previously imposed an injunction covering the whole of the European Union but later limited it to Germany, saying it was not clear that its jurisdiction extended to the whole bloc in this case.

That question was still being decided by the court on Thursday.

(This story is corrected to make clear the judge's opinion is not final decision.)

(Reporting by Nicola Leske; Editing by Will Waterman)

Germany Apple inc. Ipad 2 Apple