China iPad Trademark Dispute Refuses to Stay Dead

Thought Apple’s battle with Proview for the rights to the iPad trademark in mainland China was over? Well, think again.

Though Apple has agreed to pay the bankrupt monitor maker $60 million to settle the trademark dispute between them, it hasn’t yet assumed ownership of the iPad mark. And now Grandall, the law firm that represented Proview in its spat with Apple, has asked a court to seize the mark until the company pays off its legal fees.

Earlier this week, Grandall submitted an “asset protection application” to the Shenzhen Yantian District People’s Court, asking it to grab the iPad mark before its transfer to Apple. Its hope: That by holding up the transaction this way, it can recover the $2.4 million in fees it believes it is owed before Proview and its creditors get their hands on that $60 million. Grandall, which has been having a lot of trouble getting Proview to pay up, has already sued the company, alleging its repeated requests for payment have been rejected. With this latest move, it hopes to force the company’s hand.

Not particularly bad news for Apple, which quickly brought the iPad to mainland China following the finalization of the settlement. But certainly another annoyance in a string of them.

(Image courtesy of Fer Gregory/Shutterstock.com)