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Chinese court rejects Apple's claim to the iPad name, faces potential sale ban
Before starting to sell the iPad in China last year Apple attempted to trademark the name in the country, but that request was rejected since it was already owned by Shenzhen-based Proview Technology. Apple reached an agreement with the Taiwanese arm of the company for global rights to the moniker, but the Chinese unit, which owns the trademark in that particular country, wasn't so willing to hand over the deed. Apple sued, but the Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court rejected Cupertino's claim to ownership earlier this week and now the iPad manufacturer finds itself on the wrong side of a battle over intellectual property rights. Proview Technology has targeted resellers in Shenzhen and Huizhou, demanding an immediate halt to the selling of the iOS tablet. If successful the company plans to expand its quest for an iPad ban to the rest of China. Obviously, Apple can (and likely will) appeal the decision, but we're interested to see how this one shapes up.
Chinese court rejects Apple trademark lawsuit over iPad name
According to Reuters, a Chinese court in Shenzhen (home to the Foxconn factories where many Apple products are assembled) has rejected a trademark infringement suit Apple filed against Proview Technology over the iPad's name. Proview has owned the Chinese rights to the iPad trademark since 2000. Apple bought global rights to the trademark long ago, but the deal apparently did not include trademark rights in China. Proview continues to hold trademark rights to the iPad name in China, and is apparently seeking a US$1.5 billion judgment against Apple for trademark infringement by selling the iPad in China. In October 2010, Proview Chairman Yang Rongshan made Proview's motivations for the suit abundantly clear in an interview with Financial Times. "It is arrogant of Apple to just ignore our rights and go ahead selling the iPad in this market, and we will oppose that. Besides that, we are in big financial trouble and the trademarks are a valuable asset that could help us sort out part of that trouble." The rejection of Apple's trademark suit likely means Proview can now move forward with its own suit against Apple over the iPad name.
