Just yesterday we reported that Chinese authorities were seizing iPads over in China over trademark infringement claims. However it looks like the removal of the sales of the iPad in China is not enough for Proview and now there are reports that the Chinese company could be looking to ban the export of iPads out of China.
As most of you guys are probably aware, the majority (if not all) of Apple’s production for their products takes place in China, which means that if Proview were to be successful at their request to ban the export of iPads from China, you can expect to see a worldwide shortage of iPads, not to mention with the iPad 3 rumored to see a launch in March, this could put a very, very huge dent into Apple’s plans.
For those unfamiliar with the whole fiasco, Proview is suing Apple for infringing upon the iPad trademark, a trademark which Apple claims to be have bought from Proview through a subsidiary. The iPad trademark was originally filed in China back in 2000, a good decade before the first iPad saw its launch, and now there is a chance that Proview could be seeking up to $1.6 billion in damages over the alleged trademark infringement.
We’re not sure what Apple plans to do about this as the enforcement of such a ban could dramatically hurt the company’s sales.