A California judge has tossed out a lawsuit in which the Chinese firm Proview Electronics accused Apple Inc of tricking them into selling the “iPad” name for less than it might have, reports “Reuters” (http://macte.ch/LF8xB).
Last week, judge Mark Pierce dismissed the case, agreeing with Apple’s argument that the two parties had agreed to settle any disagreements in Hong Kong, the article adds. In February accused Apple of “deception” in the way it acquired rights to the iPad name. In Californian court filings, Proview claimed Apple created a UK-registered “special purpose company,” IP Application Development Ltd (IPADL).
The court papers allege that IPADL said the trademark was needed because “it is an abbreviation for the company name.” Proview was seeking damages and sought to void a 2009 deal in which it sold its rights to the trademark for US$55,000 (£35,000).