Chinese company Proview Technology owns the iPad trademark in the country
When you think of the iPad, you instantly associate it with Apple. But in China where several fake Apple Stores have been shuttered before, a December court ruling stated that the company didn't even own the trademark to the iPad name. Now, authorities have started confiscating authentic Apple slates from various Chinese stores, and may continue to do so in the future.
A total of 45 iPads were seized in a city near Beijing because a court determined that the product's name was owned by a company called Proview Technology. The obscure mainland China-based company filed for the iPad trademark back in the year 2000, when it first concocted its ill-fated plan to develop tablets. Proview's Taiwanese mother company sold the iPad trademark in 2010 to an Apple affiliate, but it seems that didn't include the right to use the name in the mainland.
Proview has requested for the confiscation of authentic iPads in 20 other cities across China, although it's not clear at this moment whether authorities will comply. If it happens, Apple's total sales may be affected as the country is one of its very important markets. The company's CEO Tim Cook even called China the "very key" to its earnings in July. Right now, reports indicate that resellers in the country are pretty nervous, and some have even taken iPads off the shelves of their own accord.
This article was written by Mariella Moon and originally appeared on Tecca
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