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After losing a trade mark lawsuit last year against a Chinese company, Apple may have to pay a fine and stop selling and marketing the iPad in China. An ironic outcome, if it finally goes through.
Last year, Apple sued a company called Proview Technology Shenzhen. The latter said they had the rights to the iPad name in continental China, even while the companies Hong-Kong branch sold the name to Apple in 2009. Apple lost that lawsuit.
Now, Proview Technology Shenzen is asking “the court to stop selling and marketing for Apple’s iPad in China.” According to the company’s lawyer, Xie Xianghui, they are also demanding “an apology.” I like that.
The case is now going to be heard in a Shanghai district court. There’s also another lawsuit pending in Beijing for the same reasons, this one asking a for a 240 million yuan (£24 million) fine. [Ecns and China Daily via ismashphone]
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Cue a number of jokes about “a terrible, oppressive regime” and China
Copy and paste ideas. from a copy and paste nation.
Not really sure what Zedong would have made of Apple – “But how can an iPad make my people better farmers?”
This ruling doesn’t mean they can’t sell the iPad in China, it means, if it is upheld, that they can’t sell the iPad under the name iPad in China.They just have to come up with a cool Chinese name for the device, which may be easier to market – call it, I don’t know, ‘The People’s Tablet’ – let me Google translate that – 人民的平板 – job done. Send me the bill.