Hearing ends without ruling over iPad name_美文

Hearing ends without ruling over iPad name

Taiwan Proview registered the iPad trademark in a number of countries and regions as early as 2000, with Shenzhen Proview registering the trademark on the mainland a year later.

At the hearing on Wednesday, lawyers for Apple and IP showed new evidence including e-mails between both sides during the early negotiations for the trademark deal.

However, Xiao argued that Shenzhen Proview never asked its executives to negotiate with Apple and IP to sell the iPad trademark on the mainland, and Yang himself did not have the right to sell the company's properties.

Shenzhen Proview has registered and used the iPad trademark for more than a decade on the Chinese mainland, he said.

"The contract for the mainland's iPad trademark transfer was signed between Taiwan Proview and Apple and IP Application Development Ltd in December of 2009, not Shenzhen Proview," Xiao said.

Apple and IP paid $56,000 to Taiwan Proview for the iPad trademark transfer.

Ma Dongxiao, a lawyer for Shenzhen Proview, said he was confident of winning the lawsuit.

"E-mails presented by Apple in court actually have no legal validity," Ma said.

The e-mails showed that Yuan Hui, a staff member at Shenzhen Proview, was once involved in the trademark transfer negotiation.

"Yuan was actually asked by Taiwan Proview to help translate some documents during the transfer negotiation. He had no right to represent the Shenzhen side to sign the contract," Ma said.