Apple has released a statement regarding an ongoing dispute with a Chinese technology company over the name of its iconic tablet PC, following the prohibition of iPad sales in several city stores in China.
According to daily Apple news site 9to5Mac.com, the US-based technology giant yesterday said Proview Technology (Shenzhen), the Chinese company that claims to own the iPad name, refuses to honour their agreement to transfer the iPad trademark.
“We bought Proview's worldwide rights to the iPad trademark in 10 different countries several years ago... a Hong Kong court has sided with Apple in this matter,” reads the statement. The case is still pending on the Chinese mainland.
Proview reportedly countered by saying Apple was worried the iPad brand would be resold before the hearing was finished and so “asked the Hong Kong court to forbid Proview Shenzhen from doing that”. The company further says the court's decision to prevent the trademark from being transferred cannot be regarded as a favourable ruling for Apple.
Terminating sales
Yesterday, Reuters revealed that Chinese authorities have ordered further city retailers to rid their shelves of Apple's tablets. Two major shopping malls in Shanghai's Xujiahui district have stopped ordering iPads, according to the report, while cities such as Xuzhou, in Jiangsu province, and Qingdao, in Shandong province, have asked retailers to remove the items from their shops.
Reuters says Proview Technology, a subsidiary of Proview International Holdings, has asked authorities in more than 30 cities to halt the vending of iPads.
Despite the ongoing debate and deliberations, however, a ban of Apple's iPads will be “difficult to impose”, due to the sheer size of the market and the popularity of the product. This is according to an exclusive yesterday by Reuters, which says China's customs authorities are unlikely to intervene in the trademark battle.
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