The battle continues between Proview and Apple over who owns the iPad name in China.
Proview Technologies, a now defunct maker of computer displays who still exists as a subsidiary of Proview International Holdings, Ltd, claims ownership of the trademark, a fact seemingly confirmed by a lower court ruling in a Chinese court. A higher court in Guangdong heard Apple’s appeal back in February, resulting in the Guangdong court leading mediation efforts between the two companies.
Proview initially wanted as much as $2 billion from Apple, though Apple is obviously unwilling to shell out that kind of dough for something they believe they already rightfully own. In fact, Apple actually purchased the iPad trademark from a Proview sister company back in 2009, and that the company has refused to honor that transaction. A court in Shanghai denied Proviews injunction against the iPad in the region, and sales of Apple’s iPad tablet have continued in the country despite the pending trademark infringement case.
Still, here we are in the negotiation process, with no light at the end of the tunnel to be found. According to Proview’s lawyer Roger Xie, Apple has recently proposed a settlement amount, though not nearly enough to satisfy Proview’s monetary desires. Apple spokeswoman Carolyn Wu declined to comment on Xie’s accusations.
It appears there’s a long battle ahead for Apple as it seeks to fend off Proview’s trademark infringement cases in China. We’ll keep our eyes on Guangdong in the coming weeks, as the case there has significant impact on Apple’s operations throughout China.
[via Bloomberg]