A SHENZHEN firm that claims to own the use rights to iPad planned to take Apple Inc. to court claiming 10 billion yuan (US$1.5 billion) in losses.
The Hong Kong-listed Proview International Holdings Ltd. showed that Proview Taipei, in which it has a controlling stake, had registered the iPad computer trademark in Europe in as early as 2000.
In June and December 2001, Proview Shenzhen, in which the listed company holds a 100-percent stake, registered the iPad trademark for two items in China.
The Taipei-based company also produced iPad-branded computers, which had not been recognized by the market. Apple bought the global use rights to the iPad trademark from the Taipei company, but the Shenzhen company still holds the use rights of the trademark in China.
The listed company is facing a debt crisis and eight banks, including the Bank of China, have frozen the assets of the Shenzhen-based company, including the iPad trademark.
(SD-Agencies)
