Chinese Court Orders Halt of Apple's iPad Sales: Trademark Dispute Intensifies

A Chinese court has ordered a local electronics vendor to stop selling the iPad, as part of the intensifying trademark dispute, which is threatening Apple to stop the sales of the popular tablet in the country.

A court in the Chinese city of Huizhou ruled that electronics retailer Sundan had to halt iPad sales at its stores, according to the lawyer for Chinese company Proview Technology, which filed the legal action.

According to Proview Technology, it owns the Chinese rights for the “iPad” name. Apple, claiming trademark infringement, failed to win the suit after its case was rejected over lack of evidence. Proview first registered the trademark name “iPad” in several countries, including China, as early as 2000 intending to use it for a Web-capable hand-held device, but the project was scrapped.

Earlier it was reported that about 45 iPads had been confiscated from outlets in Shijiazhuang, the capital of Hebei Province, about 265 kilometers (165 miles) southwest of Beijing. It was also reported by the New York Times that tablet computers are under temporary impoundment from retailers in Xuzhou, a city in coastal Jiangsu Province.

It appears that unless Apple agrees to pay a large sum of money to settle this trademark dispute, the seizures and legal actions could continue. It is not known how much money is sought by Proview from Apple for resolving the issue.