iPad trademark gets Apple sued in China

[Derrick]

http://mybroadband.co.za/news/genera...trademark.html

A Taiwan-linked company which claims ownership of the iPad trademark in China has filed lawsuits and lodged complaints against Apple for infringement, a lawyer said Tuesday...

[GuileX]

Why only now? Ipad has been out for quite a while.

[surfs-up]

I hate these trademark trolls. They are slowing down development of technology, due to their constant lawsuits. Everyone knows that Apple uses "i" before a product name, right.....so I think you get greedy individuals that register any name they can think of that begins with "i", so that they can profiteer later on if Apple happens to choose that name.
They really don't have any interest in marketing a similar tablet - their objective was only to make money out of a lawsuit. Sick.

Apple should just not sell their iPads in China then. Let their customers go and toyi toyi the trademark trolls, for stuffing up their opportunity at buying one.

[killadoob]

Doesn't apple sue companies for using the word apple?

So apple is just as bad as those so called trademark trolls.

You want apple to move away from a billion+ person market? yea you will do well running a massive company

[evilstebunny]

I hate these trademark trolls.

Then you hate Apple as they are the biggest trademark trolls of all. Round corners my ass!

[ghoti]

I hate these trademark trolls. They are slowing down development of technology, due to their constant lawsuits. Everyone knows that Apple uses "i" before a product name, right.....so I think you get greedy individuals that register any name they can think of that begins with "i", so that they can profiteer later on if Apple happens to choose that name.
They really don't have any interest in marketing a similar tablet - their objective was only to make money out of a lawsuit. Sick.

Apple should just not sell their iPads in China then. Let their customers go and toyi toyi the trademark trolls, for stuffing up their opportunity at buying one.

Apple are the worlds most hectic patent/trademark trolls.

I cant think of any company who is a bigger troll than them.

[TJ99]

Doesn't apple sue companies for using the word apple?

So apple is just as bad as those so called trademark trolls.

You want apple to move away from a billion+ person market? yea you will do well running a massive company

+1. Apple is the most vile, disgusting company ever when it comes to trademark nonsense and frivolous lawsuits. It used to be Sony but Apple beats them by far now. The only thing more funny about their own underhanded tactics being used against them, is the complaints from employees and fanboiz about how silly the lawsuits are. Ah the sweet taste of the pot calling the kettle black.

[ponder]

I hate these trademark trolls.

Biggest trademark/patent troll is Apple. They're just getting some of their own medicine back.

Proview Technology (Shenzhen) is owned by a Taiwanese company that registered the trademark name “iPad” in several countries including China as early as 2000, years before Apple began selling the product.

If they were there first then what gives Apple the right to claim otherwise?

[JStrike]

Apple are the worlds most hectic patent/trademark trolls.

I cant think of any company who is a bigger troll than them.

A trademark / patent troll is someone that buys patents, but never uses them, then sues for money.
Apple on the other hand, uses its trademarks / patents and tries to prevent others from using them.
There is a world of difference

[JStrike]

Then you hate Apple as they are the biggest trademark trolls of all. Round corners my ass!

The rounded corners are part of a design patent / trade dress that Apple has.

This is a trademark.

There is world of difference

[ghoti]

Apparently you can own people now as well in trademarks. Hectic. Like those Chinese people who made dolls of Steve Jobs and got threatened (this has to be a first.... what next... take a photo of someone famous and get sued for trademark infringement?). What about that tiny little restaurant that got sued by Apple. For having the word, "apple" in their restaurant name. Siff companies are trademark/patent trolls.

[JStrike]

Apparently you can own people now as well in trademarks. Hectic. Like those Chinese people who made dolls of Steve Jobs and got threatened (this has to be a first.... what next... take a photo of someone famous and get sued for trademark infringement?). What about that tiny little restaurant that got sued by Apple. For having the word, "apple" in their restaurant name. Siff companies are trademark/patent trolls.

Nope, trademark / patent troll has a very specific and established meaning. Which doesn't apply here.
You can come up with some other, more appropriate. derogatory term if you wish

[JStrike]

Apparently you can own people now as well in trademarks. Hectic. Like those Chinese people who made dolls of Steve Jobs and got threatened (this has to be a first.... what next... take a photo of someone famous and get sued for trademark infringement?). What about that tiny little restaurant that got sued by Apple. For having the word, "apple" in their restaurant name. Siff companies are trademark/patent trolls.

And actually yes. You cant just take photo's / videos of people and publish them. Hence the reason you have to sign a release form when you appear in any tv show etc (There are certain exceptions to this though) giving your consent for your image to be used

[Dolby]

I remember back in the day Nokia, Siemens, Ericsson, Samsung and others would release devices - even some with rounded corners and rectangle - and play nicely in the market. They'd compete on price and features ... the better would win.

Apple enters the market and starts owning corners, rectangles, boxes and suing everyone. The whole market is turne upside down as Apple, it seems, couldn't compete on price or features like other electronics

[Garyvdh]

I hate these trademark trolls. They are slowing down development of technology, due to their constant lawsuits. Everyone knows that Apple uses "i" before a product name, right.....so I think you get greedy individuals that register any name they can think of that begins with "i", so that they can profiteer later on if Apple happens to choose that name.
They really don't have any interest in marketing a similar tablet - their objective was only to make money out of a lawsuit. Sick.
Apple should just not sell their iPads in China then. Let their customers go and toyi toyi the trademark trolls, for stuffing up their opportunity at buying one.

They registered the name iPad in 2000... They actually did produce a Tablet, but it never sold very well and now they are on the brink of bankruptcy due to the world economic climate.
Apple only tried to buy the rights to the name in China in 2010. Ten years later. That's a massive lapse of time.
And they didn't do their homework properly because the company that sold them the rights, didn't actually have permission to sell it.
Apple are the real scumbag trolls here... once again trying to use their lawyers to do their business for them.

Simply putting an "i" in front of anything does not mean that it automatically belongs to Apple.
If you believe that then you really are pretty naive.