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Ownership of iPad name contested in China

Apple iPads have been seized by authorities in a Northern China city following a complaint from a domestic company that claims to own the iPad name.

Complaints from flat-panel display manufacturer Shenzhen Proview Technology, who registered the iPad name in China in 2001, led to the tablet computers being seized from retailers in Shijiazhuang last Thursday.

The Chinese company is asking for similar action in more than another 20 cities.

Apple bought the rights to the iPad name from Proview Taipai, a Taiwan affiliate of Shenzhen Proview, but the company claims to still own the name in China.

Apple owns five stores in mainland China with two in Beijing, three in Shanghai and has official resellers in other cities.

In December 2011, a Chinese court rejected complaints from Apple that Shenzhen Proview was using the iPad name illegally.

David Hing, London