iPad Export Ban Would Threaten Global Sales

The latest legal dispute with Apple involves use of the iPad trademark in China, which could halt iPad sales and ban exports putting the kibosh on the imminent iPad 3 launch. Last week, Chinese customs officials seized hundreds of units after near-bankrupt Shenzhen company Proview Technology claimed it’s the legal

owner of the iPad trademark [...]

Full story: http://www.nettechbl...pad-ban-threat/

-- nettechblog.com 2012-02-20

So much money involved someone HAS to take a shot at a nuisance suit to get them selves a settlement slice.

And the timing is more than a little suspicious.

Perfectly timed to harass Apple into paying them a settlement so the iPad 3 can be released. Gee they didn't bother withj iPad or iPad 2.... oh yeah more money to be had now.

Proview has asked regulators in more than 40 Chinese cities to investigate trademark violations and so far there have been some iPad seizures in small numbers. Proview has actually owned the trademark since 2001 but Apple bought the rights from a Taiwanese affiliate some years later. However Proview contests the agreement didn’t include rights to the name in China, and the dispute doesn’t seem to be any closer to resolution.

So, it's only in 40 cities in China that anything might be done for Proview. But since iPads are probably manufactured in one of those cities it might involve some payoff. I love it when the a Chinese company cries foul, but the Chinese do nothing about all the all the copyright infringements and product theft that is so prevalent there... As the article said, Apple can't wait for their assembly plants that are being built in Brazil to get up and running!

Just a desperate, near-bankrupt company trying to squeeze some money out of Apple. It's their last hope so they won't give up. According to a court ruling on this subject in Hong Kong, Proview actively tried to "mislead and injure" Apple by keeping part of the trademark they had already sold to Apple in order to sue them later.

Trolling at its best. My guess is nothing will come of this. The laws in China may allow for this kind of thing, or not, but the politics will definitely not allow it...