“Apple wants to pay Proview to put an end to their iPad trademark fight. But the price tag remains a sticking point,” Lance Whitney reports for CNET.
“Apple has offered to pay Proview $16 million for the rights to the iPad name in China. But Proview is reportedly looking for a lot more, according to a report from Chinese site Sina.com picked up from the Beijing Times. Citing a ‘source close to the negotiations,’ the Times said that Apple’s offer was rejected by Proview earlier this week,” Whitney reports. “Struggling to stay afloat after going bankrupt, Proview is in quick need of cash, and lots of it… In total, Proview owes around $400 million to its creditors, though there seems to be confusion over whether that number is 400 million in U.S. dollars or 400 million in Chinese yuan ($64 million).”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Apple already paid Proview for the right to use “iPad” in China. We wouldn’t give the desperate extortionists 16-cents.
WWSD? Likely he’d tell ’em to go pound sand.
Related articles:
California Judge throws out Proview lawsuit against Apple over iPad trademark – May 8, 2012
Apple pushing for settlement in iPad trademark dispute, says Proview lawyer – May 7, 2012
Chinese court seeks to mediate iPad trademark dispute; settlement ‘likely’ says Proview lawyer – April 24, 2012
Apple in court-recommended talks with Chinese iPad trademark challenger Proview – April 20, 2012
Apple pressures Beijing with iPad snub – April 17, 2012
Apple CEO Tim Cook meets with Vice Premier of China; Proview says ‘political public relations campaign’ – March 28, 2012
Apple: Proview is lying about iPad trademark in China to stave off creditors – March 22, 2012
Major creditor seeks liquidation of Chinese iPad trademark challenger Proview – March 5, 2012
Proview lawyer hopes Apple makes contact for iPad trademark settlement – March 1, 2012
China higher court hears Apple’s iPad trademark appeal – February 29, 2012
Apple iPad trademark case in Shanghai suspended; Proview injunction rejected – February 24, 2012
Proview sues Apple in the US, mass hilarity ensues – February 24, 2012
Proview files lawsuit in California against Apple over iPad trademark – February 24, 2012
Chinese court says Apple can continue selling iPads in Shanghai – February 23, 2012
Apple is not Proview’s get out of jail card. Why the heck does every article assume that Apple will bail them out?
Because dragging this out is costing Apple money. At some point, it is easier and cheaper to pay them off.
I’m not claiming that any of the figures reflect the number that would be right for Apple. I’m sure Apple has done the math on this and understands what value makes the most sense for them at any given date.
True, it could be that Apple will never pay them off just to discourage future claims that are similar.
Yes, that’s why companies settle. BUT, Apple could have settled a long time ago for what they are offering now. I figured they were fighting the case based upon principle, and also to send a message that trademark squatters don’t profit. Trademark squatting is a huge business in China, and settling with Proview will only encourage the Chinese to continue. Virtually every combination of i-Anything has been registered in China with the hopes that they can profit from Apple.
Okay, I read the original Chinese article at Sina.com. It states Apple offered 100M RMB, which is roughly $16M USD. And, it states the Proview debt is $400M USD. The only confusion is Cnet’s writer, but the original Chinese article does not express any confusion.
The term “rolling over in his grave” comes to mind.
Right, because a Steve-led Apple would *never* try to settle.
Oh wait. How did the Nokia situation turn out? Settlement. June 2011. Who was running Apple at the time? Steve.
Oops.
MDN needs to stop playing the “WWSD” card. Nobody knows for sure what Steve would have done. He’s dead. Let him rest in peace.
All TC has to do is wait out Proview. Proview is DESPERATE for cash, and doesn’t have the luxury of time in a prolonged fight. If indeed Apple offered some around $16 Million, that is all Proview is going to see, if that.
The $16 million is possibly less than it would cost Apple to fight this in court. Not just the legal fees, but time and hassle and other expenses. Also, I wonder if it helps Apple’s case with the court if it can show a good faith offer? If Proview turns it down, then it just shows the company’s just a money seeker and this has nothing to do with a trademark issue.
Apple should stick a fork, no wait, make that a chopstick, in Proview because it’s done. Proview is like that Colombian prostitute who says she’s worth $800 a bang but in reality would be happy to pocket $200.
Well, Apple is offering $200 in this case, which sounds about right, unlike that tightwad Secret Service agent who tried to get away with $50 and found himself turfed out of a job.
Anyway it all goes down a hole so the result is the same, although the extortion method may differ.
What’s the exchange rate between dollars and chicken feet today? It’s still a lot of chicken feet.
It is always about filth for you, isn’t it BLN? Can’t you post something without resorting to potty talk or vulgarities?
You are a left winger spouting religious right bullshit.
Schizophrenic or what?
Just change the name of the product in China:
iPaid
Or ChiPad
Just change the name in China to Pad and everyone will still call it the iPad.
That’s a good idea, since it’ll be obvious that people are trademark squatting if they register -anything.
Even if Apple won and got all costs (assuming they could recover them) there’s still the time and resources that could possibly be better devoted elsewhere.
wow. that’s deep.
Even if Apple wins this time, they’ll have to go through it all again, once the shakeup at the upper-echelon’s of the Communist Party have run their course. There will be new people in power, with new POVs and demands and, as some believe, invoke a moratorium on internet devices altogether, until they can squelch the “sneaker net” that is exposing the government corruption in the Bo Xilai defection case.
I don’t believe it’s Proview pushing this. Proview doesn’t have any money and the creditors want money. It’s the creditors Apple is dealing with.
an astute observation, I think you are right, Hawk.
You’re right. That’s exactly what everyone was saying yesterday, including MDNs offerings.
Apple needs to resolve this and get iPads selling in China ASAP
Thats why Apple is offering a $16 million settlement. The delay in selling iPads in China is killing Apple. Add in the legal costs, and $16 million probably saves Apple a LOT of money.
That’s right. There is no other business until Apple has removed (paid off) every obstruction to Apple’s iDevices.
Apple could survive for the rest of the millennium just on sales to China alone.
BS, MDN. You would pay, just to move forward.
You seem to be having a bad day.
For what it’s worth, you might be responsible for saving my life. You were the only one who noticed my decline and were the only one who … kinda reached out.
For that I owe you a debt of gratitude. This Marine has got your back, silverhawk1. Thanks.
Maybe Apple should hire Google to steal the rights for them.
Give ’em a share of APPL.
Just change the name to ‘ApplePad’ or something. The dispute is only for China as apple legally has right for other places.
maybe 16m is ok but 400m for ‘iPad’ name for China?
Giving a big payout even the 16m offer shows that you are ‘soft’ in Asia and lets out all the vultures. soon you will be faced with strikes from workers wanting more money, payout demands from government workers (like inspectors, licensing boards etc) and other crock, not just in China but all over Asia (and other parts of the third world).
When I was younger I worked for years in Asia
My Asian boss had glass sprinkled around his BMW 700 to puncture the tires by a business rival, when that didn’t work a few days later they poured gasoline on it and set it on fire . (My boss likes to show his ‘machete’ cut marks on his arms from fights in his younger days). He then made fun of the rival by rebuilding his BMW and installing a US $20,000 stereo system in it. That cheesed them off and guys tried to break into his house where he had two young daughters and my immediate manager had to sleep there with guards…
what kind of business was I involved in? Gambling? A bar maybe? you think… ? Nope.. it was an ADVERTISING company!
back down in Asia and you are dead. Hate Samsung? Dudes samsung is already a civilized gentleman compared to some others …
Love Asia and many of the people and maybe I had some extreme experiences that is not typical but still asia ain’t north America . (another incident in the town I lived in there. This company has a worker on a motorscooter (!) ferry extreme toxic waste – a type of cyanide i believe – to a beach and bury it over the years. It was a resort island used by tourists. There was enough toxic waste estimated to be able to kill 60,000 people!).
(one interesting fact is that the Phillipines used to be run by the USA and it’s one of the poorest countries in South East Asia. Phillipines per capita is US 2,223, Singapore – often crtiticized by the West as dictatorial is 49,000 and China 5.400 — IMF figures. Don’t flame me, I knew some fillipinos and they are great people but those are the numbers but just pointing out USA systems sometimes don’t work in Asia.)
Apple should 1billion of dolares to proview.
Pay.
Apple should just draw this out till Proview goes bankrupt.
Pad – I love it!
This rumor is total BS.
Apple need do nothing-at-all. Apple already won against Proview last June in China’s Hong Kong court. It’s wayyyy over. So F*CK OFF Proview and STFU. Sheesh.
2012: The worst year for bogus Apple rumors EVER.
They did, but as of Feb 2012 government officials are still demanding Apple’s iPads be removed from store shelves in major cities like Shanghai. Apple may have won but China doesn’t know it yet.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/16/us-apple-ipads-china-idUSTRE81F09U20120216