金融英语阅读：Apple faces legal action over iPad name

会计考友

　　Proview, a struggling Taiwanese-owned company, has threatened to sue Apple for alleged trademark infringement in a lingering dispute that illustrates the complexity of branding in far-flung markets.
　　处境艰难的台资企业唯冠(Proview)已威胁要起诉苹果(Apple)商标侵权，这起挥之不去的纠纷，反映出了在遥远的市场进行品牌运作的复杂性。
　　“We will sue them for damages in China and in the US,” Yang Rongshan, Proview chairman, told the Financial Times.
: S4 }: a- d) v0 p2 z$ u0 X　　“我们将在中国和美国起诉他们，要求得到赔偿金，” 唯冠董事长杨荣山对英国《金融时报》表示。
　　If Proview does pursue legal action, trademark experts said Apple could face additional costs in selling its iPad tablet computer in China, where Proview claims rights.
1 @* y7 S/ D; s2 h  d　　商标专家表示，如果唯冠真的采取法律行动，苹果在中国销售iPad平板电脑可能面临额外成本。唯冠主张自己在中国拥有iPad商标权。
　　Proview is a contract manufacturer?of flat screens that made an unsuccessful attempt almost a decade ago to market a tablet computer it called I-Pad.
　　唯冠是平板显示器的代工制造商，近10年前，曾试图营销一款它称之为I-Pad的平板电脑，但没有成功。
1 X( ~$ q' M  b# Y　　The company registered trademarks for the IPAD name in the EU, China, Mexico, South Korea, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam between 2000 and 2004, trademark databases show.
　　商标数据库显示，该公司在2000至2004年期间在欧盟、中国、墨西哥、韩国、新加坡、印尼、泰国和越南注册了IPAD商标。
8 R& S0 t! G8 o" f　　However, in pending cases in Hong Kong and Shenzhen, Apple won preliminary injunctions to stop Proview from selling off the IPAD name, according to people?involved?in the cases. They said the courts have not yet reached the issue of ownership. Apple said it would not comment on pending litigation.
　　不过，据知情人士表示，在香港和深圳的待审案件中，苹果赢得了初步禁令，禁止唯冠转售IPAD品牌。这些人士表示，法庭尚未触及所有权问题。苹果表示，不愿就未决诉讼置评。
　　According to Mr Yang, Proview Electronics (Taiwan) agreed in 2006 to sell the “global trademark” for the IPAD name to a US-registered company called IP Application Development (IPAD) for ￡35,000. Proview did not at the time suspect the company had any link with Apple.
　　据杨荣山表示，台湾唯冠电子股份有限公司[Proview Electronics (Taiwan)]在2006年同意以3.5万英镑的价格，将IPAD品牌的“全球商标权”售予在美国注册的公司IP Application Development (IPAD)。当时唯冠并未怀疑那家公司与苹果有任何联系。
　　However, Mr Yang claims that the trademarks for the Chinese market were not included in that agreement. These were filed in 2000 by Proview Technology (Shenzhen), another affiliate of Proview International, the group’s Hong Kong-listed holding company, rather than by the Taiwan unit.
+ X( E9 h, h/ F1 ?" |　　不过，杨荣山称，那份协议不包括中国市场所用的商标。这些商标是2000年由集团在香港上市的控股公司唯冠国际(Proview International)的另一家附属公司唯冠科技（深圳）[Proview Technology (Shenzhen)]申请的，与唯冠台湾没有关系。
8 x( p' Q  g6 t3 z/ p! t　　“It is arrogant of Apple to just ignore our rights and go ahead selling the iPad in this market, and we will oppose that,” said Mr Yang. “Besides that, we are in big financial trouble and the trademarks are a valuable asset that could help us sort out part of that trouble.”
- J% T0 `' m- w3 C　　“苹果无视我们的权益，擅自在这个市场销售iPad，实属傲慢，我们将反对这种做法，”杨荣山表示。“除此之外，我们正陷于巨大的财务困境，商标是一项宝贵的资产，有望帮助我们解决一部分麻烦。”
　　A group of Chinese creditor banks seized the assets of Proview’s Shenzhen unit, including the trademarks, after the company defaulted on loans worth $400m.
/ s  W  r, F% {. U6 C/ z9 z# d/ p　　中国一些银行查封了唯冠深圳的资产，包括商标，此前该公司拖欠了4亿美元贷款。
　　Mr Yang said both Proview’s shareholders and creditors were eager to see the trademarks sold at the highest possible price – but this action has been blocked by the preliminary injunctions granted after Apple and IP Application Development sued Proview.
  p- P: W! ?+ ^) H- j　　杨荣山称，唯冠的股东和债权人急于看到这些商标能以可能的最高价格售出，但在苹果和IPAD对唯冠提起诉讼后，法庭发布的初步禁令阻挡了这一行动。

& f6 m6 a" b& a5 u　　Apple’s suit seeks an order requiring Proview to assign the IPAD trademarks for China to IP Application Development, pointing to the 2006 agreement. But according to online trademark databases, the ownership of the EU trademark for IPAD changed from Proview to Apple earlier this year. Two IPAD trademarks registered in China are still shown as belonging to Proview.

会计考友

</p>　　苹果方面在诉讼中，以2006年协议为依据，请求法庭命令唯冠将中国的IPAD商标让与IP Application Development。但根据在线商标数据库，欧盟境内IPAD商标的所有权是在今年早些时候从唯冠转让至苹果的。在中国注册的两个IPAD商标仍显示为唯冠所有。