Chinese company suing Apple over iPad name open to talks

The lawyer for a Chinese company suing Apple in China over its use of the iPad trademark tells The Associated Press today that his client would be willing to discuss a settlement. Xie Xianghui, lawyer for Shenzhen Proview Technology, says that since no final decisions have been reached in various legal disputes over the issue, both sides are “still able to sit together and reach an out-of-court settlement.” Proview claims ownership over the iPad name. Apple says it bought the rights to the name in China and other countries in 2009, but that Proview failed to transfer the rights in mainland China as agreed. Apple had no comment on the issue of a settlement. Its spokeswoman, Carolyn Wu, reiterated the company’s belief that Proview has failed to honor its agreement with Apple. Proview accuses Apple of acting dishonestly when it bought rights to the iPad name from its Taiwan affiliate and is seeking to prevent sales of the popular tablet computers in China. It has filed lawsuits in several places and has requested that commercial authorities in 40 cities block iPad sales. A hearing is set for Wednesday in a Shanghai court. Meanwhile, Apple has appealed an earlier ruling against it in a court in Shenzhen, a city in southern China’s Guangdong. The Guangdong High Court is due to hear that case on Feb. 29.