Proview, the holder of the iPad name in China is attempting to get Chinese Customs to block all imports of iPads as well as Exports. If they are successful in their quest, they could prevent Apple from receiving their products globally. Due to the fact that Foxconn, the manufacturer of the iPad is based in mainland China, this could be disastrous for Apple.
While the iPad name ownership case is still ongoing in China, Apple originally bought the rights to the name from the Hong Kong based subsiduary of Proview, in turn suing Proview in China claiming to own the name. Apple’s claim to the name was rejected outright by the Shenzen Intermediate Peoples Court in November 2011. Proview won the case at that time and in recent days has stepped up enforcement of this within China and stores have been reporting seizure of iPads from their stores.
Proview is also claiming damages totalling some 1.6 Billion USD, however, that total amount has not been decided completely and could actually be more.
Source: Businessweek
