Proview Seeks to Stop iPad Shipments Out of China

Proview is petitioning Chinese customs to stop shipments of Apple iPads, reports Reuters.

The company claims to own to the 'iPad' trademark in China and plans to stop shipments of the table going in and out of the country. Proview won a lawsuit over the trademark late last year and is now looking to enforce the court's ruling.

Just yesterday it was reported that Chinese authorities had confiscated some iPads from a retailer on the basis of trademark infringement.

Apple says it bought the worldwide rights to the trademark long ago.

"We bought Proview's worldwide rights to the iPad trademark in 10 different countries several years ago. Proview refuses to honor their agreement with Apple in China and a Hong Kong court has sided with Apple in this matter," an Apple spokeswoman said.

On January 5th Apple filed an appeal with the Higher People's Court of Guangdong Province, after losing its claim to the trademark in the Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court.




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Chinese Authorities Confiscate iPads From Retailers for Trademark Infringement

Chinese authorities have reportedly begun confiscating iPads from local retailers following the a verdict that Apple infringed on the iPad trademark owned by Proview in the country, reports Digicha.

Apparently as a result of the Proview iPad trademark infringement verdict, some local Administrations of Industry and Commerce (AIC) have started to confiscate Apple ($AAPL) iPads they find on sale. The article claims that many stores and resellers have taken the products off their shelves to avoid discovery by authorities, but if you ask for an iPad you can still buy one. It is not clear if this is going to happen nationwide or if this is just the action of a handful of local authorities, but Apple has a lot of risk in this case.

Proview reportedly plans to ask for 10 billion yuan ($1.5 billion USD) in compensation from Apple.

Apple filed an appeal on January 5th with the Higher People's Court of Guangdong Province, after losing its claim to the trademark in the Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court. Apple says that a Proview subsidiary in Taiwan sold the trademark rights to a UK company called "IP Applications" which then sold the mark to Apple in 2010.




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Proview Wants $1.5 Billion From Apple for Infringing Its iPad Trademark

Beijing authorities have reportedly opened an investigation into Apple's possible infringement of Proview's iPad trademark in China, reports GlobalTimes.

According to the Beijing Evening News, the Xicheng District Administration for Industry and Commerce has investigated the case, as it is the district where one of the five Apple stores in China is located. Apple has been denied the rights to the trademark for the term "iPad" in China, after a legal battle with Hong Kong-based Proview Technology. Proview registered the iPad trademark in markets as early as 2000, long before Apple unveiled the iPad in [2010].

"Proview made a formal complaint to the Xicheng administration in 2011 and they had planned to slap Apple with a 240 million yuan ($38 million) fine, but it was suspended after Apple's objections," said Xie Xianghui, a lawyer from the Shenzhen branch of Grandall Law Firm. Xie says that Proview has also filed lawsuits against Apple authorized retailers and plans to ask for 10 billion yuan ($1.5 billion USD) in compensation from Apple.

The Xicheng District Administration says the situation is under investigation and they haven't announced the possibility of a fine for Apple.

Apple filed an appeal on January 5th with the Higher People's Court of Guangdong Province, after losing its claim to the trademark in the Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court. Apple says that a Proview subsidiary in Taiwan sold the trademark rights to a UK company called "IP Applications" which then sold the mark to Apple in 2010.


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This reminds me of that lodsys case with Apple and it's App developers.

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Apple Loses Case Over 'iPad' Trademark in China

Apple has reportedly lost a trademark battle with a Chinese company that lawfully trademarked the 'iPad' name in 2000, reports the Financial Post.

The Southern Metropolis Daily newspaper is citing court documents that indicate a Chinese patent court in Shenzhen rejected Apple's claim that Proview Technology was infringing on its trademark.

Apple purchased the European rights to the iPad name from Proview's global parent last year for about $55,000 and filed an infringement lawsuit against the Shenzhen subsidiary six months ago, claiming the European deal also included China. While Tuesday's reported ruling suggests China's legal system does not agree, Apple officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Proview, having 400 million yuan ($64 million dollars) in debt, sued Apple in October for 10 billion yuan ($1.6 billion) in damages due to copyright infringement.




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