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    Apple Faces Possible $38 Million Fine for Using the Term 'iPad' in China

    A rep for a Taiwanese company that claims to own the rights to the term "iPad" in China says Apple is about to be hit by a $38 million fine for continuing to use the name.

    Four years before Apple introduced the iPad in 2010, it bought the trademark "iPad" from a Taiwanese display manufacturer, Proview Electronics, but the rights to use the name may not extend into China.

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    Proview Technology (Shenzhen), a unit of Proview International in Hong Kong, now claims to own the rights to use "iPad" in China, Apple Insider reports. Proview sued Apple last December for $1.6 billion. A Chinese court ruled in favor of Proview, but Apple is appealing the decision.

    According to The Global Times, the Chinese government has launched a probe into Apple's possible trademark infringement as it considers the case. Proview Shenzhen's lawyer, Xie Xianghui, told the publication that a court in the Xicheng district of Beijing had planned to "slap Apple with a 240 million yuan ($38 million) fine," but suspended the fine after Apple objected. Apple claims that a Proview Shenzhen sold the iPad trademark rights to a UK-based company called "IP Applications," which sold the trademark to Apple in 2010.

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    A rep for the Xicheng district administration, meanwhile, told the publication that the court had never announced any such fine.

    In addition to the fine, Xie told China Daily that the company will demand an apology from Apple over the issue.

    Reps from Apple could not be reached for comment.

    This isn't the first time a high-profile Apple product has run into trademark issues. Apple and Cisco both fought over the iPhone name before settling the issue in 2007.

    This story originally published on Mashable here.

     

    31 comments

    • hatefulhappy  •  3 mths ago
      Its probably the same company that spams fake north faces and gucci bags.
    • USA  •  3 mths ago
      Apple should respect Trademarks, period!
    • Felix  •  3 mths ago
      Apple will pay now.....
    • Joe  •  Everett, Washington  •  3 mths ago
      All that money could create a lot of american jobs !
    • John Hardrock  •  Atlantic Beach, Florida  •  3 mths ago
      yep that's China calling the kettle black
    • Stephen  •  Chicago, Illinois  •  3 mths ago
      Does anyone else find it funny that China is looking into trademark infringement? They are the biggest counterfitters in the world
      • Hugh Yang 3 mths ago
        yea im chinese and dont like apple but china suing for infringement is just too much.
    • Steve  •  3 mths ago
      Sounds like this company is going bankrupt and needed some extra dough. China suing anyone for copyright infringement is hilarious. We really need to stop giving money to a country who deems human rights only as compliance to do business with better countries.
    • Mr. A  •  Chicago, Illinois  •  3 mths ago
      obviously China doesn't want your products i their country, so STOP MANUFACTURING THEM THERE!!!!!! and bring those jobs back to the USA where you are wanted!
      • Duane 3 mths ago
        your computer is made in the USA? how many job has apple created here just by building and staffing the apple stores? how many paychecks did you sign this week?
      • Mr. A 3 mths ago
        how does my computer and the chinese not wanting the ipad name in their country have anything to do with each other? Chinese didn't say my computer name violates a trademark name did they? No one is trying to extort millions of dollars from the various companies that make up my hodge podge computer, or did i miss that?
        The Apple stores only staff about 4-10 people per store and only a few of those are full timers. So what in an area like Chicago that has like 4-6 Apple stores you are talking about a max number of jobs in the 60 range, in a area with millions of people thats a drop in the pan.
        None. Once again, what does this have to do with Apple bringing manufacturing jobs back to the USA?
    • Date  •  Washington, District of Columbia  •  3 mths ago
      ROFL at the thought that China "made" or has "copyright" to anything... They copy-all-right.
    • Joe  •  Everett, Washington  •  3 mths ago
      Don't deal with china and bring the jobs back to the USA !
    • Chuck  •  3 mths ago
      Yeah, since when is China worried about patents, copyrights or trademarks. They copy anything and everything.
      • Gigadee 3 mths ago
        ....and so does apple. SJ even admitted it. Take and make better is the Apple way - I bet you even think SJ invented the MP3 format.
    • Tina  •  Pilot Point, Texas  •  3 mths ago
      Youre gonna have to stop naming things with a lowercase i and a simple word, and use your imagination?
      • Chris 3 mths ago
        iMagination
      • Tina 3 mths ago
        good god
    • StevenB  •  New York, New York  •  3 mths ago
      The use of the "i" before any term such Phone, Pad, Mac is synonymous with Apple products. I'm sure any court will recognize that.
      • Bob Smith 3 mths ago
        So true, Apple stole these and bankrupted the original owners years ago.
      • Bob Smith 3 mths ago
        whoops, sorry, I guess you haven't read a case file or court document in your life.
        Cold hard facts - Apple steels everything that they remarket.
      • unknown 3 mths ago
        cold hard fact... Bob Smith is an #$%$ clown android loving loser
    • Gigadee  •  Phoenix, Arizona  •  3 mths ago
      The name iPhone was trademarked by Sprint and Apple merely stole it and paid off Sprint out of court so hearing this news is no surprise. Apple's arrogance is beyond belief
    • John  •  Truckee, California  •  3 mths ago
      Great reason to bring the manufacturing jobs home Apple. Invest in good old fashion American automation, with all that extra cash you have.
    • dude with opinions  •  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania  •  3 mths ago
      But the Chinese have fake apple stores all over the place!
    • mistervideo  •  Scotts Valley, California  •  3 mths ago
      And the Chinese wonder why they're not taken seriously here... first, they equate acquisition with accomplishment, second, they equate generosity with weakness, and third, they equate social responsibility with bad business decisions. They program their progress at the expense of their people... State Capitalism: I'm in charge and you can't do anything about it, Peasants!
    • ROBERT  •  3 mths ago
      fu@# china
    • Max Fubar  •  3 mths ago
      LOL....how's that Intelectual Property law doing you?
    • Max  •  3 mths ago
      Clearly the Taiwanese company sought to trademark "iPad" cuz it was similar to "iPod" thus wanted to copy Apple's own longstanding trademark. I mean iPad isn't a word so how is it translated into their language?

      Later on "Made in China" stickers will read "Made in iChina."
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