Proview

Apple has settled its iPad trademark suit with Proview, agreeing to a $60m pay-out in order to use the iPad name for its tablet in China. "The iPad dispute resolution is ended," the Guangdong High People's Court confirmed in a statement. "Apple Inc. has transferred $60m to the account of the Guangdong High Court as requested in the mediation letter." Proview had argued that Apple's apparent purchase of the iPad trademark back in 2009 was not legally valid.

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Apple is believed to have offered $16m to Chinese firm Proview to finally secure use of the iPad trademark in China, but the ailing company is reportedly holding out for a huge $400m settlement. Although Apple confirmed it had made an offer to Proview earlier this week, it declined to specify what sums were discussed; according to sources familiar with the negotiations speaking to Chinese site Sina, however, Proview has been forced to demand far more than Apple is willing to offer, as its creditors ratchet up the pressure.

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Apple and Proview have been battling in Chinese courts for a long time over trademark claims for the iPad name in China. In the US, Proview claimed that Apple deceived it into the selling rights of the iPad name by saying the trademark was an abbreviation for the company name. Proview sold the rights to Apple for the iPad name for $55,000 back in 2009.

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The legal tussle between Apple and Proview regarding the iPad trademark in mainland China may soon be coming to a close. Proview’s lawyer, Xie Xianghui, recently told news service Xinhua that Apple has begun to warm to the idea of a settlement. It comes after the two companies entered settlement talks as part of Chinese law, plus a senior Chinese official believing that Apple’s chances of winning the case were slim.

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Apple's chances of winning the iPad trademark battle in China may be slim, according to the remarks of senior official Fu Shuangjian, a deputy director of China's State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC). In one of the first public comments made by a government official about the Apple-Proview trademark controversy, Fu sided with Proview saying that the iPad trademark currently belongs to the Shenzhen company.

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The legal dispute between Apple and Proview continues to rage on in China. If you need a quick refresher, Proview claim that they hold the rights to the “iPad” name in mainland China, while Apple says they purchased the full rights some years ago. A legal tussle ensued, and so far the whole thing has been drawn out without any sign of resolution. Now, Apple and Proview are reportedly sitting down in an attempt to come to an agreement.

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If you recall, there’s been some legal trouble over in China between Apple and Proview. Proview claim that Apple don’t have the proper rights to the iPad name in mainland China, while Apple disagree. Previously, Proview sent a bizarre letter to local vendors threatening litigation if they continued to sell iPads. Now the company is looking to block a potential new iPad launch after the latest version has been cleared for sale by the China Quality Certification Center.

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Apple has renewed its offensive against iPad trademark foe Proview, claiming the company "is misleading Chinese courts and customers" and accusing it of trying to shake down Apple so that it can pay off its neglected debts. The Cupertino company pointed to its own track record of IP registration as evidence that it respects trademarks, the Washington Post reports, though Proview's lawyers maintain that Apple is looking to "mislead the courts, the public and media."

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The war between Proview and Apple wages on. Proview claims that they’ve been using the iPad name since 2001, and that they hold the iPad trademark in China. Apple naturally disagrees. Last month, Proview sought a ban of iPad sales in Shanghai, which was ultimately rejected by the local courts. Apple countered by saying that granting Proview a win on the trademark claim would “harm consumer interests” and cause confusion”.

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Apple has warned Chinese courts that ruling against it in the ongoing Proview iPad trademark case would "harm consumer interests" and "cause confusion", despite the fact that its Hong Kong foe has supposedly been using the name since 2001. "Consumers in China have come to associate this trademark with Apple's tablet computer" a lawyer from Apple's legal team told the Higher People’s Court of Guangdong this week, Bloomberg reports, arguing that Proview should no longer be allowed to use the brand in the country.

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Apple faces renewed criticism over the Proview iPad trademark case, amid accusations that the shell company Apple set up deliberately mislead over its intended use of the trademark in order to secure the sale. Proview, which is currently suing Apple in the US, claims Apple's "special purpose company" IPADL (IP Application Development Ltd) assured the Taiwanese firm that it sought the trademark as "it is an abbreviation for the company name" the BBC reports.

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Apple's iPad trademark headaches continue, with Chines foe Proview suing the Cupertino company in the US, along with accusing it of using a fake company to con Proview into believing it would not present competition in the market. Proview filed its suit at the Santa Clara Superior Court on February 17, Proview spokeswoman Alice Wang confirmed to the AP, citing Apple's use of the iPad trademark in the Chinese market. The company claims it believed it was negotiating with an IP developer, which would not offer hardware competition for sales in China.

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