China Company: Apple Is Infringing On iPad Trademark & It’s Good Should Be Seized

2011 March 2
by Michael H. Berkens

According to Mondaq.com, a Chinese company, Proview Technology  Co., Ltd says that Apple is infringing on the name “ipad”.

The company has demanded that Apple to stop its trademark infringement immediately, otherwise it would work with 8 creditor banks including Bank of China to ask relevant authorities to seize Apple’s infringing goods.

Proview International claims it  registered a trademark for  “ipad” in the EU, China, Korea, Singapore, Indonesia and other countries from 2000 to 2004, and transferred the trademark in EU to Apple early 2010, but it stills holds the trademark in China.

This is a logical outcome from the US unilateral action of seizing domains which are out operating out of US jurisdiction.

For ever action there is a reaction is a time tested saying.

It would be faulty to conclude that the US if the only country on earth to that has an interest in controlling the Internet.

So if the US is entitled to seize domains and products at the drop of the hat, other countries with their own agenda might be expected to do the same.

14 Responses leave one →
  1. 2011 March 2

    Love it….China vs USA ….in the domain war.

    This is good news for the domain industry.

  2. 2011 March 2

    How does this relate to domaining? I thought this was over the TM “ipad”? Not trying to be a smartass. Just don’t see the connection.

  3. 2011 March 2
    John Doe permalink

    I understand the point your trying to make, but the domains that were intended to be seized by ICE are pretty much on clear violation while Apple on the other hand feeds an army of people in China. I have a feeling the Chinessr government is no idiot to risk that.

    However, I do not understand how BullS came to his comment.

  4. 2011 March 2
    MHB permalink

    Tony

    The issue is very quite related to domains.

    You know the US has been seizing domains left and right based off of the goods they are selling.

    So if other countries and companies start seizing goods based off of trademark infringement(s) its all domain related

  5. 2011 March 2
    MHB permalink

    John

    Except for the 84,000 sites that were seized by ICE by mistake.

  6. 2011 March 2

    i like… funny… when freedom comes to america it will be interesting.

  7. 2011 March 2
    LS Morgan permalink

    LMFAO at anyone in China bitching about IP rights. The entire country is a gigantic knock-off factory.

  8. 2011 March 2
    Landon White permalink

    EVERY ….American…. Product has a Major brand counterfeit clone, “lookalike”
    taste alike,LABELS,clothes, automotive,etc the box and all made in china,
    that it ALSO exports to America via the black market.

    This is funny indeed!

  9. 2011 March 3

    Ditto LS Morgan’s comments. The irony of China claiming IP rights violations.

  10. 2011 March 3

    if true, Apple may re-buy the TM using few million$ of its $50+ billions cash reserve

  11. 2011 March 3

    i think china will win this domain war….

  12. 2011 March 3
    Gazzip permalink

    To me it sounds like a dispute or confusion about trade marks that were bought and sold between two companies, Proview & Apple…not a domain war between to countries China & US

    @ Landon, I watched a news clip in the last few days about an American family that removed every single item in their home that was made in china, there was virtually nothing left in the house at all…nada

    That’s insane, mad, nuts, crazy….very sad to say the least

    I’d imagine it would be the very same way here in UK, we’ve all sold out to the lowest bidder and now we’re all going to have to pay the full price of that idiotic and short sighted mistake.

    Many of our skills & manufacturing capabilities have now been lost.

  13. 2011 March 3
    domainian permalink

    Claiming the entire country of china as a knockoff factory is akin to calling every domainer a cybersquatter.

  14. 2011 March 5
    John Doe permalink

    MBH,

    I am with you in that seizing the 84,000 domain names by ICE is bad and the process in general is bad, but it is still apples and oranges in the end.

    However, LS Morgan and the follow up comment by Domainian are good points too.

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