Apple has won a bid in a Hong Kong court to exclude some evidence that was previously filed by Proview in its lawsuit over the iPad trademark in China.
Two expert reports filed by Proview in October 2011 failed to comply with Hong Kong court instructions, making the evidence inadmissible in an upcoming trial between the company and Apple, according to a ruling today by Judge Justin Ko. Proview hasn’t decided whether to appeal the ruling, Chairman Sun Min said by phone yesterday.
Apple is suing Proview, and the company’s founder Rowell Yang in Hong Kong, claiming they conspired to breach an agreement in 2009 over the iPad trademark. Apple is also involved in a parallel lawsuit with Proview in mainland China, where a court has urged both sides to settle the dispute.
A court in Shenzhen ruled that Proview owned the iPad trademark in China, ruling Apple’s 2009 contract to acquire the name was invalid. In February, the U.S. tech giant appealed the decision to the Higher People’s Court of Guangdong.
The Guangdong court announced last month that it is mediating talks between Apple and Proview. Apple has offered compensation to resolve the dispute, but it’s been reported there remains a “big gap” between the two sides.