iPad Trademark Fight Delaying iPad 3 Release
Apple’s Q1 results were historic and the company became the number one PC vendor in the world. It comfortably beats the runner-up in every aspect. All these encouraging events are setting the stage for a grand release of iPad3. But a recent development can throw a spanner in the works. A last minute trade dispute between Apple and a company named Proview could delay the release of iPad 3.
Proview Technology is a cash-strapped Chinese company that is fighting a legal battle over the iPad name. The company claims ownership of the trademark in China and it recently asked Chinese customs bureau to stop imports and exports of iPad. According to Apple, the company has already acquired Proview’s rights to the iPad trademark in 10 countries including China.
Analysts believe that this legal battle is Proview’s last minute effort to extract maximum compensation from Apple. It is demanding $1.6 billion compensation. Apple could get stuck between a rock and a hard place. It cannot afford to leave Chinese market which is the next biggest market after U.S. A last minute change of the tablet name is also out of the equation as all the prefixes of ‘Pad’ from A to Z are already registered. The next hearing is scheduled for February 29th and Apple might be hoping to get rid of this final hurdle. Any unfavorable ruling might just delay the launch of iPad3.
What will happen to the applications that are not ready to work at this resolution?