Proview

Apple defends Siri in Shanghai courtroom

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ku0H10_G1X4

China may soon become a top source of legal headaches, as well as market opportunities. Wednesday, the iPhone maker begins a defense of its Siri software against a Chinese company's claim the voice-activated personal assistant violates its 2004 patent. Zhizhen Network Technology Co. filed its lawsuit against Apple last summer and today the two firms meet for a pre-trial hearing in a Shanghai court.

According to Zhizhen, its "Xiao i Robot" software was patented before Apple developed Siri in 2007 and unveiled as part of the iPhone 4S in 2011. The Shanghai-based firm is asking the court to halt Apple making and selling products using Siri, a voice-activated personal assistant feature available on newer iPhones and iPads...

China iPad sales up 80 percent on ProView deal

Following the successful trademark dispute resolution with ProView over the iPad moniker, Apple's tablet sales in the 1.33 billion people market surged 80 percent, a new survey has it. Apple, as you know, back in July ended its legal spat with China's bankrupt monitor maker by paying $60 million in exchange for ownership of the iPad name in China.

That deal has paved the way for the July 20 iPad launch in the country. According to an IDC research note issued Friday, iPad shipments in China nearly doubled following that deal.

An estimated 2.07 million units of the iPad were sold in China during the third quarter of this year versus the 1.15 million shipments in the previous quarter. Lenovo is a distant second with 278,000 tablet shipments. Samsung? It's ranked as third with only 143,000 units moved...

Proview doesn’t pay attorney fees in iPad suit, lawyers sue

China-based Proview recently took home a cool $60 million settlement in iPad trademark case which delayed the tablet's launch in China.

Despite the handsome payout, the bankrupt display vendor says it doesn't have money to pay its lawyers their legal fees accrued while fighting Apple over the iPad trademark.

Lawyers being lawyers, they took their former client to court, seeking 2.4 million dollars in legal fees. What goes around comes around, I guess...

Apple settles ‘iPad’ trademark dispute with Proview for $60 million

A new report is out tonight, claiming that Proview and Apple have finally reached a settlement in their 'iPad' trademark dispute. The two companies have been in and out of courtrooms for over a year, fighting over the moniker.

The battle has seen Apple's tablet barred from sales in a number of cities and provinces around mainland China. And Proview, an electronics manufacturer, was at one time reportedly seeking $1.5 billion in compensation...

Apple offers $16M to settle iPad dispute, but Proview wants $400M

Confirming the latest rumor asserting a possible settlement, Apple has reportedly offered Proview just $16 million for the rights to use the iPad moniker in China.

That's a far cry from a whopping $400 million the cash-strapped display maker is allegedly seeking in order to settle the trademark dispute and appease its creditors.

At the same time, Apple too is in a hurry to settle this dispute as the company looks to launch its new iPad in the all too important 1.33 billion people market, without risking a country-wide sales ban...

U.S. version of Proview’s iPad lawsuit dismissed by California judge

By now, most of you are likely familiar with the ongoing legal battle between Apple and Proview over the iPad trademark. Much of the dispute has unfolded in or around China, but in February the monitor-maker brought its fight Stateside.

In the lawsuit, filed in Santa Clara California, Proview alleged that Apple committed fraud when it used a dummy corporation to purchase the iPad trademark, thus making the deal void. But this California judge doesn't want to hear it...

Apple appeases Proview with a settlement figure

For months, lawyers for California-based Apple and bankrupt monitor vendor Proview have been trying to negotiate a way out of a high-stake trademark dispute which has been holding back the launch of the new iPad in the 1.33 billion people China market.

According to the latest update out from China’s official government newswire Xinhua, Apple has now put a dollar value on their settlement offer to Proview, finally moving the ball forward...

Government officials say Proview owns iPad trademark as court mediates a settlement

The rights to use the iPad moniker in the 1.33 billion people market of China belong to the bankrupt display maker Proview, a Chinese government official told Reuters this morning.

The official quote indicates that Chinese government is very much interested in helping Proview prevail by gently pushing Apple into a court-moderated mediation leading to a possible settlement.

The mediation was first hinted by IDG News Service last week. Should Apple continue its court fight with Proview to lose the case, it could face a big fine plus a country-wide ban on iPad sales in China...

Talks are underway to settle iPad trademark dispute in China

Apple is in talks with bankrupt display maker Proview of China over the iPad trademark dispute that has delayed the launch of the third-generation tablet in the 1.33 billion people market, a new report out today alleges.

The two parties have reportedly entered a voluntary mediation procedure that could lead to negotiations over a possible settlement.

If no deal is reached, the higher court will have to make a ruling and the severe consequences for Apple, should it loose the case, could include a hefty fine and a country-wide ban on iPad sales in China...

Proview slams Tim Cook for meeting Chinese politicians ahead of iPad ruling

As we reported on Monday, Apple CEO Tim Cook was on a China tour recently. He posed for iFan shots at the company's retail store inside Joy City, a Xidan, Beijing shopping mall. While the real purpose of his visit to the 1.33 billion people country (emerging as Apple's most important market) remains shrouded in secrecy, it does coincide with the Proview situation and an upcoming iPad launch in China.

According to a pair of news articles, Cook also met with local politicians to talk "intellectual-property issues". The meetings were "great", a spokesperson for the company said. However, Proview representatives were quick to slam Cook for conducting a “political public relations campaign”.

As you know, the embattled display maker Proview is suing Apple over the rights to use the iPad moniker in China, where Apple has yet to introduce its third-generation tablet. Shenzen courts are expected to rule on Apple’s latest appeal on the iPad trademark within 90 days.

Proview amends its iPad lawsuit, now accusing Apple of fraud

By now, most of you have heard about the Proview vs. Apple lawsuit. The Chinese monitor-maker, who is currently in steep financial trouble, is suing Apple over the use of its iPad trademark in China.

Even though some judges have already ruled in Proview's favor, Apple is denying the allegations. The company claims that it purchased the rights to the iPad name years ago, and has emails to prove it. Now hear what Proview has to say...

Proview says it’s ready to negotiate with Apple over iPad trademark

After months of back and fourth between Apple and Proview, we're about ready for this silly dispute to come to an end. The monitor-maker is currently blocking iPad sales in a number of south China cities over 'trademark infringement.'

But it appears that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Times of India is reporting that Proview's lawyer Xie Xianghui has said that his company is preparing for negotiations with Apple in an effort to settle this matter out of court...