Story highlights
Proview Technology Shenzhen claims it trademarked the IPAD name in China in 2000
Apple says it bought the name from the firm in 10 different countries in 2009
A Chinese judge in February advised both parties to settle the dispute out of court
Apple announced it had doubled its profits in the last quarter, thanks mainly to China sales
A senior Chinese official has sided with a company battling with Apple over the right to use the iPad name in China’s lucrative market.
Proview Technology Shenzhen claims it trademarked the name in China in 2000 – 10 years before Apple’s iPad hit global stores. But the U.S. technology giant says it bought the name from the struggling Asian electronics firm in 10 different countries in 2009.
Proview insists it did not sell the rights to the name in China.
After seeing its claim against the Taiwanese-owned company falter in a Chinese court last year, Apple faced a lawsuit filed by Proview at the Higher People’s Court in Guangzhou in February. The court did not issue a ruling but asked both parties to consider settling out of court.
Will Apple’s ‘iPad’ go bad in China?
If no agreement can be reached, a ruling is likely to be handed down by the end of May, the court told state-run China Daily.