Apple loses Chinese lawsuit to the iPad trademark

A Chinese court has an indictment of Apple against the Chinese Proview Technology due to the infringement of the iPad trademark will be rejected. Proview Technology wants to now claim damages of about 1,17 billion euro.

Apple had brought the lawsuit against Proview Technology in Shenzhen instituted because it was of the opinion that the Chinese company in iPad trademark constituted an infringement with a similarly named tablet in China. Apple claimed it in 2010 for a little more than 40,000 euros the trademark had acquired from Proview Taipei, that just like the company in Shenzhen is part of the Hong kongbased holding company Proview International.

The Municipal Intermediate People’s Court in Shenzhen has now this indictment dismissed, and determined that the iPad trademark for China is not part of the transaction. Proview Taipei registered in 2000 for a large number of countries the iPad trademark, but Proview in Shenzhen registered this trademark in 2001 for China, apart from Proview Taipei.

The ruling for Proview Technology in Shenzhen at an opportune moment. The company is due to the economic crisis with a total debt burden of around 47 million euros. Immediately after the pronouncement of the court did Proviews schuldsaneerder know Apple to sue for violation of copyrights.

The company wants a compensation of about 1,17 billion euro requirements, but this could still add up. Apple, with its iPad tablets in China in the second quarter, a market share of 74 percent.