That’s the sound of a wet towel snapping someone on the leg. And that’s just the kind of sting Samsung must be feeling today as U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh issued a preliminary injunction that stops it from selling the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in the U.S., because it infringes on Apple’s intellectual property (read: it looks a heck of a lot like and iPad). The injunction came late Tuesday afternoon. Koh had previously denied the injunction, but a federal appeals court asked her to reconsider.

Reuters quotes the reversal:

“Although Samsung has a right to compete, it does not have a right to compete unfairly, by flooding the market with infringing products,” Koh wrote on Tuesday, adding the order should become effective once Apple posts a $2.6 million bond to protect against damages suffered by Samsung if the injunction is later found to have been wrong.

This may not be the Patent Wars’ version of Bull Run or Shiloh, but Apple has definitely scored a victory here. The injunction doesn’t affect Samsung’s newest tablet offering, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 II, which was just introduced last month.