Yesterday we told you that Apple’s lawsuit against Proview regarding the “iPad” trademark was rejected by a court in Shenzhen, which would make Proview the rightful owner until Apple decides to appeal the decision or settle with the company outside of court.
At the time we weren’t sure what exactly would be the next course of action for either company, but according to a new report from Financial Times, it appears Proview is attempting to block iPad sales by suing resellers in Southern China. Starting with the cities of Huizhou and Shenzhen, if the company is successful at blocking sales of the iPad there, they will then go after other Apple resellers throughout China.
Xie Xianghui, a lawyer presenting Proview, discussed the company’s new course of action:
The Shenzhen Futian District Court will begin hearing one case on December 30, with another slated for January 7. There’s always the possibility that Apple will settle outside of the courts before then, as Proview’s financial troubles are clearly a motivating factor.
Apple originally quietly obtained the “global” trademark from Proview in 2006 under the company IP Application Development (IPAD). There is a dispute between the two companies regarding whether or not that agreement included rights to the trademark in China, a debate the courts have thus far sided with Proview on.
- A court decision today indicates that Apple may not own the iPad name in China (9to5mac.com)
