Critical.
Authoritative.
Strategic.
Subscribe to CIO Magazine »

China may widen investigation of Apple iPad trademark dispute

Authorites in one Chinese city reportedly seized 45 iPad tablets in response to a trademark dispute

More than 30 offices across China of a commerce regulatory body are investigating Apple's sales of the iPad in the country, according to the lawyer for the little-known Chinese company that has accused Apple of trademark infringement.

Authorities in one Chinese city, Shijiazhuang, have reportedly gone as far as to seize iPad tablets from local merchants, after Proview filed a complaint claiming ownership of the iPad trademark.

Proview, a display vendor that has filed for bankruptcy, has been locked in court battles with Apple over control of the iPad trademark in mainland China.

Apple was dealt a legal blow in December, when a Shenzhen court rejected its claim that it had bought the trademark from a Proview subsidiary in Taiwan.

Proview believes Apple is infringing on its iPad trademark, and has filed lawsuits in different cities demanding that vendors stop selling the iconic tablet, its lawyers have said. It has also filed complaints with local offices of China's Administration for Industry and Commerce (AIC), requesting authorities to investigate, said Proview lawyer Xie Xianghui on Tuesday.

AIC offices, including those located in Beijing and Shanghai, have notified Proview that investigations are underway, Xie said. Authorities did not specify the actions taken so far, he added.

Officials in Shijiazhuang declined to comment on the reported seizures of the iPad. A spokesman for the state office of the AIC said on Tuesday he did not have information on investigations relating to the iPad trademark dispute.

One merchant in Shijiazhuang's Taihe electronics mall said on Tuesday that he had stopped selling the iPad tablet because he was not allowed to, but did not provide further information. Other merchants said they still had the iPad on sale, and had been unaffected by the iPad seizures.

Apple did not immediately comment on the developments. Following the December court ruling that rejected the company's claims to the iPad trademark, Apple has filed an appeal.

Join the CIO Australia group on LinkedIn. The group is open to CIOs, IT Directors, COOs, CTOs and senior IT managers.

More about: Apple
References show all

Comments

Post new comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
Users posting comments agree to the CIO comments policy.
Login or register to link comments to your user profile, or you may also post a comment without being logged in.
Related Coverage
Related Whitepapers
Latest Stories
Community Comments
Tags: Apple, government, hardware systems, intellectual property, iPad, legal, Regulation, tablets
Latest Blog Posts
Whitepapers
  • Developing an Information Strategy - Strategize, Align, Govern, Execute, and Optimize
    An information strategy defines how a company will use the data it collects to achieve a competitive advantage. It is a comprehensive, constantly evolving plan that encompasses five distinct actions. In this white paper we explore how these five vital actions, as well as the technologies that enable and support them, can help organizations develop an effective and broad-reaching information strategy that drives positive change.
    Learn more »
  • Cost Effective Security and Compliance with Oracle Database 11g Release 2
    Information ranging from trade secrets to financial data to privacy related information has become the target of sophisticated attacks from both sides of the firewall. Built upon 30 years of security experience, the Oracle database provides defense-in-depth security controls that enable organizations to transparently protect data. By leveraging these controls, organizations can safeguard data, ensure regulatory compliance, and achieve business goals such as consolidation, globalization, right sourcing and cloud computing while still maintaining scalability, performance and availability. Read this whitepaper.
    Learn more »
  • Setting a strategy for secure mobile printing
    Where, when and how we work is changing. Increasingly, we’re doing business on the road, at the office without a dedicated workstation and from our home offices. A 2010 InfoTrends survey of more than 1,400 mobile knowledge workers in Brazil, Germany, India, Japan and the U.S. echoes this trend. Respondents reported spending, on average, more than half of their time away from hard-wired network access. Implementing an effective strategy to make printing secure and simple for employees—regardless of where those employees happen to be—can help reduce security risks. Read more.
    Learn more »
All whitepapers
rhs_login_lockGet exclusive access to Invitation only events CIO, reports & analysis.