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Shanghai court rejects Proview injunction, okays the sale of Apple iPads (update: Proview sues Apple in US courts)
The legal tussle between Apple and Proview over the iPad has swung in Cupertino's direction. According to Chinese news outlet Xinmin, a Shanghai court has rebuffed Proview's demand for an injunction halting the sale of the Apple tablet due to licensing issues. The Pudong New Area People's Court made the decision yesterday, stating that while the Guangdong court case has yet to make a final decision on who owns the "iPad" trademark, there wasn't enough evidence on Proview's side to honor an injunction.For those who've just caught up with the story, here's a quick overview: starting in 2000, Proview's Taiwan branch registered the "iPad" trademark in several countries, with the Shenzhen branch doing the same in China. Apple then bought worldwide rights from Proview Taiwan, which would have included China. Proview Shenzhen, who has gone into debt restructuring since 2010, is now saying that it never authorized its Taiwan counterpart to do so, but Apple claims that it has Proview Shenzhen's signatures on the paperwork. It looks like eventually it's going to get easier to grab that iPad in China, though if Apple's appeal case in the Guangdong court fails, then Proview could easily strike again with more ammo.Update: Looks like Proview is bringing the fight to Apple's home turf. We've just learned that the Chinese company filed a lawsuit against the Cupertino firm on February 17th in Santa Clara County, California, where it alleges deception in Apple's purchase of the iPad trademark. [WSJ]
Hackintosh repaired at Apple Genius Bar
So, you're in Shanghai, China with your fake MacBook Air when it suddenly stops working. What do you do? Make an appointment at the real Genius Bar for the Apple Store, Pudong in Shanghai and get help. Fortunately for the man who brought the "MacBook Air" into the store, the Geniuses behind the bar were in a good mood and actually helped him out with diagnostics and troubleshooting. I somehow feel this type of friendly and helpful reception might be lacking if a certain colleague of mine brought her trio of hackintosh netbooks into a local Apple Store here in the U.S.
Toys "R" Us to open store in China
First Best Buy took the plunge in China, now Toys "R" Us is following suit. In December, the North American toy retailer will open its first Chinese store at The Super Brand Mall in Shanghai Pudong. I noticed some construction activities when I was there a few weeks ago, but the store space didn't look very big. Store sizes are somewhat limited given the mall's Guggenheim-ish floor structure. Still, this should help spur console and handheld game sales in a market that has been traditionally dominated by PC gaming. Toys "R" Us will provide a nice complement to the mall's Lotus Supercenter, which sells only PC titles.See also: China online gaming trends House of Flying Daggers MMO in development
