trademark

Two weeks after a Chinese court proposed a settlement between Apple and Proview over a disputed trademark, a Chinese government newswire report suggests Apple is pushing for its own settlement in a bid to close the complaint.

Proview lawyer Xie Xianghui told China's government newswire: "We feel that the attitude of Apple Inc. has changed. Although they expressed that they were willing to negotiate, they have never taken any action before."

"But now, they are having conversations with us, and we have begun to consult on the case," he added.

The wire report claims Apple … Read more

Apple may risk losing the right to use iPad trademark in China, as a Chinese court seeks to mediate a settlement between the technology giant and local company Proview Technology challenging the use of the iPad name.

According to the Associated Press today, Yan Xiaohong, deputy director of the National Copyright Administration, told reporters in Beijing that the Chinese government regards Shenzhen-based Proview as the rightful owner of the trademark for Apple's tablets.

"The dispute between Apple and Shenzhen Proview concerning the iPad trademark is going through the judicial process," Yan reportedly said in a news conference … Read more

Proview vs. Apple continues as reports suggest a Chinese court is looking for the two companies to settle in what appears to the court to be a dead heat.

But the iPad maker -- that device's trademarked name is in dispute -- will likely fight on until the court resolves the dispute, knowing full well China's laws favor Proview in the case.

The Guangdong High Court in southern China heard Apple's appeal of a ruling against it by a lower court on February 29, and is looking for the two companies to settle. Proview had accused Apple … Read more

Apple earlier this week filed a trademark application in Europe requesting ownership of an icon, presumably designed for iOS, that would allow it to show communications applications with pending notices in a single pane.

An art example in the application shows a black box listing "Mail," "Calendar," and "SMS," with Apple's familiar numbered circles, indicating pending notifications.

Patently Apple was first to report on the trademark application.

Patently Apple also recently reported on a patent application that Apple has filed in the U.S. The application describes a method for users to snap an image with multiple cameras … Read more

Individual privacy is a hot topic in the social-networking world right now. But have people thought about privacy of the companies, such as protection of their brand, logo, and trademarks?

This is something Facebook is looking into. In the recent revisions (PDF) of its Statement of Rights and Responsibilities, the social-networking site is now saying that account holders "will not use" the word "Book."

That's right, Facebook is trying to trademark the word "Book."

If these revisions are approved, when users sign onto Facebook they will be agreeing not to use that word … Read more

In its most detailed statement yet regarding its battle over the ownership of the iPad trademark in China, Apple said Proview International was deliberately "misleading" Chinese courts.

Proview tricked Apple into signing a carefully crafted agreement in 2009 that has raised questions over the trademark's rightful owner in China, Apple spokeswoman Carolyn Wu said in a statement cited by The Wall Street Journal. She went on to say that the troubled company was trying to exploit that situation to extract more money from Apple.

"Proview clearly made that arrangement so they wouldn't have to give … Read more

The Chinese company creating legal headaches for Apple over the iPad name could be close to shutting down.

Computer-monitor maker Proview has been battling Apple over the rights to the iPad trademark at the same time it's been struggling to stay afloat. (A cynic might suggest those two events aren't exactly coincidental.) Now one of Proview's major creditors is trying to sink the company permanently.

Taiwan-based Fubon Insurance is looking to grab $8.68 million in outstanding debt and has filed an application to declare Proview bankrupt and its assets liquidated. And a decision on the matter … Read more

Proview chief executive Yang Long-san has acknowledged that his company is in trouble, but that doesn't mean the end is near.

"My biggest wish is to resolve all these frustrating problems and put them behind me," Yang told Reuters in an interview published today. "If we can resolve all the problems we have now and I have a chance to make a comeback, I'd still want to overtake my old competitors."

Yang didn't say what issues he wants his company to move past, but it's clear Apple might be chief among them. … Read more

Proview Electronics, the company that's made attempts to keep the iPad off store shelves in China, is now taking aim at Apple in the U.S. too.

Proview filed a new lawsuit against Apple last week in California Superior Court in Santa Clara County, claiming Apple committed fraud when it acquired the iPad trademark through U.K. subsidiary IP Application Development in 2009, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

The suit, which was filed on February 17, accuses Apple of acting "with oppression, fraud and/or malice," for not disclosing that it would be the eventual … Read more