There hasn’t been a lot of news coming out of the iPad trademark dispute between Apple and Proview the last few weeks, but we now hear reports that the two companies are sitting down for settlement talks, hoping to resolve the issue.
Ma Dongxiao, a lawyer representing the Chinese company Proview, said on Friday the talks were happening, but declined to offer details.
The legal dispute between Apple and Proview is still being deliberated by the Higher People’s Court of Guangdong Province. But earlier this week, the court recommended that both Apple and Proview find a way to mediate the dispute, according to a court spokesman.
Apple says it purchased the rights to the iPad trademark in late 2009 as part of a deal with Proview’s Taiwanese arm. It covered several markets, and carried a $55,000 purchase price. Proview counters that the Chinese rights were controlled by its Chinese arm, and not the Taiwanese division, which had no right to sell them to Apple. This despite the fact corporate officers common to both units were involved in the negotiations.
It is unclear if these new settlement talks will bear fruit. Both sides are most assuredly weighing their chances of winning in court, as they decide on any possible compromises.
