China Bans Sales of Apple iPad
The Chinese government banned the sale of iPad tablet computer made by Apple Inc. started this week. This action follows the case of a patent dispute between Apple and one of the local technology companies.
The ban was announced separately by each local government in China. Reuters news agency reported today, the ban was announced by the Government of Xuzhou City in Jiangsu Province and Qingdao in Shandong Province. Electronics retailers are asked to draw iPad from their stores. While in Shanghai, two major shopping malls in the Xujiahui district has stopped importing the iPad.
When asked for confirmation, trade authorities Xuzhou city and Shanghai declined to comment. Meanwhile, one Commerce Department official denies banning the sale of Qingdao iPad. “It’s up to the retailer, whether to stop selling or not. Government is not involved,” he said, Thursday, February 16, 2012.
This problem stems from Apple’s dispute with Chinese companies, Proview Technology. Proview claims to have had the trademark “iPad” long before this tablet computer Apple sells in China. October last year, Apple sued Proview worth U.S. $ 1.6 billion with alleged copyright violations.
But Apple defended itself because it was already getting a copyright on the trademarks of Proview Technology’s parent company, Proview International Taiwan. But Chinese courts already rejected a defense company founded by Steve Jobs. Proview Technology is asking the 30 municipal government in China to stop selling the iPad.
iPad export block, according to The New York Times, can cause confusion unless Apple agreed to pay a large fee to resolve a trademark dispute with the Proview.
Meanwhile, Apple said it had bought the trademark from Proview iPad China along with nine other countries.
Proview efforts to block sales of iPad in some regions in China is the initial success, but China’s customs officials to assess the export ban on the iPad would be difficult to apply because high popularity of iPad in China.
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