I'm actually starting to feel a little sorry for Apple now.

[Dos_Box]

The Register have just run this article, and for once I can see what Apple are getting so frustrated about over this whole affair.

 

Proview wins new Chinese IPAD ruling as Apple threatens to sue ? The Register

Edited February 21, 2012 by Dos_Box

[ChrisJ]

I do find it amusing seeing a Chinese company taking legal action over copyrights and trademarks.

 

Sent from my iPed

[synaesthesia]

I find it amusing that Apple, the king of patent trolls, are correctly losing sometimes.

[Dos_Box]

I don't know about 'correctly' losing. From what I can gather they purchased the trademark from Proview several years back, but Proview didn't sell them all (i.e. the China one) as they are claiming that a couple of the subsiduaries, and seperate trademark holders are not a part of the main Proview group, but apparently they are, and Apple even won a case in Hong Kong a litte way back highlighting the fact:

 

Now that the wheels have fallen off the biz, Proview is set to be delisted from the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in the next few months - and pictures purportedly taken of its Shenzhen factory show a derelict and shabby building.

A Hong Kong court ruling in Apple’s favour was also unearthed from 2010, in which the judge expressed serious misgivings about Proview’s business dealings.

The firm has always claimed that because Apple only bought the iPad trademark from its Taiwanese entity, and not the Shenzhen company, the fruity tech titan did not have the rights to the name in China. However, Judge Poon said that the companies, all under the control of CEO Yang Rongshan, failed to properly assign the trademarks and instead sought to “exploit the situation as a business opportunity”.

 

[glennda]

Is this when a google take-over suddenly emerges?

[Michael]

Trademarks are bought per country or per continent typically - North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia.

 

I suppose the real question is why now? iPad has been around for years.

 

It kind of reminds me when an alleged 'co-founder' of Facebook in the early days suddenly claimed 50% of the company. Were they hiding under a rock when its popularity and profitability were growing?

[X-13]

Is this when a google take-over suddenly emerges?

 

http://i0.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/006/406/challenger-approaching.jpg

[synaesthesia]

Frankly anyone that can knock the legal guys at Apple down a few pegs gets my backing. This isn't bashing anything product related, it's just being fed up with their godcomplex when it comes to properties they themselves have hardly, if any, right to.

[mwbutler]

The patent trolls get trolled? Yep I definitely feel sorry for them /sarcasm

 

*grabs popcorn* as this could be very lulzy.

[tech_guy]

Who's Apple? What's an iPad?

[sparkeh]

What's an iPad?

Some kind of Chinese electronic device I hear.

[ChrisJ]

Who's Apple? What's an iPad?

 

It is the strong leading trend and nobody can resist the charming of iPAD. The effect on iPAD is overwhelming in the human history.

[pete]

I am also taking the *popcorn* approach.

 

Not terribly surprised regional courts are judging against Apple in favour of the plucky (and local) underdog.

[webman]

I'm in favour of Apple losing some court battles, it's about time they did. If they go throwing their weight around, it's inevitable that they are going to get some of the same treatment in return.

 

Apple haven't been as white as white lately. They play dirty in the courts. They have known about poor factory working conditions in their Chinese suppliers while at the same time announced massive profits. And most recently, it's emerged that there's a total lack of security around the iPhone address books - letting any app access and steal that data for any purpose without the user's knowledge.

[rich_tech]

I cant feel sorry for them either, they are the worlds most massive of patent trolls here.

[garethEds]

It's not a problem for Apple - they'll just remove their production lines into another country creating a bit of unemployment in China.

 

GJE

[Gibbo]

I don't feel anything either way, but I am saddened at the way The Reg has become more of a comic than a serious source of IT news with a bit of humour thrown in.

 

Incidentally, when Whitney Houston died, Sony put up the price of her albums on iTunes. Apple got the blame of cashing in, even though it had nothing to do with it. In the end Apple reduced the price to pre-death prices and absorbed the loss. But I don't recall anything being mentioned about this.

[aerospacemango]

BBC News - Whitney Houston: Sony 'sorry' for album price hike

 

Nothing to suggest iTunes were the bad guys, there....

[Gibbo]

Maybe not on that one article, but there were plenty of others.

 

Whitney Houston | Itunes Raise Price Of Whitney Houston Album, Furious Fans Protest | Contactmusic

 

On Monday, reporters fell over themselves to reveal that the price of Houston's Ultimate Collection had gone from £4.99 to £7.99 in the UK's Apple iTunes store and her Whitney: The Greatest Hits had mysteriously increased from £7.99 to £9.99.

 

Both Apple and Sony, which is Houston's label, were immediately vilified as greedy corporates cynically cashing in on her untimely death.

[Dos_Box]

It appears Apple have now won the case: BBC News - Apple wins Proview China trademark case

 

Apple has won a case of trademark infringement which, if upheld, would have prevented it from selling iPads in China.

The Shanghai court said that the case, brought by Proview Technology, did not have enough evidence to proceed.

 

[mthomas08]

Maybe not on that one article, but there were plenty of others.

 

Whitney Houston | Itunes Raise Price Of Whitney Houston Album, Furious Fans Protest | Contactmusic

 

Their own fault for having an automatic system inplace set by Sony? Surprised they have that to be frank, Apple like to do their own thing but not in this case. People would have been angered because they think they are purchasing through 100% iTunes system.

 

Even I didnt know it tied in with Sony, apparently though Sony corrected the mistake instantly so Apples loss would of been what £100 which I am sure they can afford?