苹果终于了结*iPad商标纠纷

苹果公司(Apple)同意向唯冠科技（深圳）有限公司(Proview Technology(Shenzhen)，简称唯冠深圳)支付6000万美元了结商标纠纷。过去两年来，唯冠深圳以商标侵权为名试图阻碍iPad在中国大陆的销售，而中国大陆是支撑苹果国际业务快速增长的关键市场。

The US group agreed to settle with the mainland division of Proview International, a Hong Kong-listed technology group, in return for ownership of the iPad trademark in China, according to a statement by the Higher People's Court of Guangdong. The deal took effect on Monday.

广东省高级法院的一份声明显示，苹果公司已与香港上市科技企业唯冠国际控股有限公司(Proview International Holdings Limited，简称唯冠国际)的大陆子公司达成和解，以换取iPad商标在中国大陆的所有权。该协议自周一起生效。

Apple is preparing to launch the iPad 3 in China, with local regulators giving their approval in March for the device to go on sale in the country in spite of the lawsuit with Proview Shenzhen. Apple has yet to announce the launch date.

苹果目前准备在中国大陆发售iPad 3，并早在今年3月即得到中国监管当局的销售许可，虽然当时苹果与唯冠深圳之间的商标侵权诉讼尚未完结。苹果尚未公布iPad 3的发售日期。

Duncan Clark, chairman of BDA, a Beijing-based consultancy, said the settlement would have a "modest" impact on Apple's sales in China, where the company was already doing very well. "If the product is a hit in the US, it's a hit in China too," he said.

北京咨询公司BDA的董事长邓肯•克拉克(Duncan Clark)表示，该和解方案对苹果在中国大陆的销售只会产生"温和"影响，苹果在中国市场已经表现不俗。他表示："如果iPad 3在美国市场畅销，在中国市场就肯定能够引发追捧。"

Proview Shenzhen registered the iPad trademark in China in 2001, nine years before Apple unveiled its iPad. Separately, Proview's Taiwan unit had registered the iPad trademark in the EU and six other markets between 2000 and 2004, which it sold to Apple for £35,000 ($54,800) in 2009 – a deal Apple insisted had included China. This was challenged by Proview Shenzhen.

唯冠深圳早在2001年即在中国大陆注册了iPad商标，较苹果推出iPad产品早了九年。另一方面，唯冠国际的台湾子公司则在2000年至2004年期间在欧盟和其他六个市场注册了iPad商标所有权，并在2009年以3.5万英镑（合5.48万美元）的价格将其出售给苹果。苹果曾坚称该交易包含中国大陆市场，唯冠深圳对此提出异议。

In a series of rulings since 2010, courts in the US and Hong Kong had found in favour of Apple but a number of lower courts in mainland China supported Proview Shenzhen's position. Little was done to stop the sale of the iPad, however, as local courts had refused to back Proview Shenzhen's application to block shipments of the iPad in and out of China, where the product is manufactured, and to stop local retailers from selling Apple's iPads.

自2010年起的一系列法庭裁决中，美国和香港法庭做出的判决结果有利于苹果，而中国大陆多个下级法庭支持唯冠深圳的主张。不过iPad的销售几乎不受影响，因为中国法庭拒绝支持唯冠深圳停止iPad进出口（iPad在中国制造）以及禁止国内零售商销售iPad的请求。"

The iPad dispute is over. The court decided that a settlement would be in the best interest of both parties. Proview Shenzhen is understood to have a lot of debt and have several hundred creditors and its major asset is the iPad trademark," the court's statement said.

广东省高级人民法院在声明中称："有关iPad商标的争端现已解决。本院认为协议和解最符合当事双方利益。唯冠深圳目前负债较多，债权方多达数百，iPad商标是其主要资产。"

China is Apple's biggest market outside of the US and where it had about 65 per cent of the market share for tablet computers in the first quarter, according to technology research firm IDC. But it faces growing competition from local PC-maker Lenovo, which launched its Le Pad last year, and Samsung'sGalaxy Tab.

科技行业研究公司IDC的数据显示，中国是苹果在美国以外的最大海外市场，今年一季度苹果在中国平板电脑市场所占份额达到约65%。但中国本土PC生产商联想(Lenovo)去年推出的乐Pad平板电脑以及三星Galaxy Tab系列平板电脑使苹果在中国市场面临日渐增大的竞争压力。

Apple could not be reached for comment on Monday.

记者周一未能联系到苹果公司请其置评。