Chinese Official Says Proview Owns iPad Trademark, Not Apple
Who owns the iPad trademark in China? Apple claims it does. But, evidently, Chinese government officials disagree.
Fu Shuangjian, the vice minister of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC), an agency that enforces trade laws in China, said today that Apple gadfly Proview is still the holder of the iPad trademark in the country.
“According to the provisions of China Trademark Law, currently Shenzhen Proview is the legal registrant of the iPad trademark,” Fu told reporters at a news conference in Beijing.
Fu’s remarks are the first the SAIC has made on Apple’s ongoing battle with Proview for ownership of the iPad trademark, and while they certainly won’t determine its outcome, they do suggest that Apple’s chances of winning it in court might not be as good as evidence suggests. And if that’s truly the case, Apple may be better off settling with the opportunistic Proview — as much as the prospect of doing so must chafe.
Apple did not respond to a request for comment.
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