Apple says Proview iPad trademark demands unfair

SHANGHAI - (AP) -- Apple Inc. says claims by a Chinese electronics firm that it still owns the mainland China trademark for the iPad are misleading and unfair.

Apple said in a statement Tuesday that Proview Electronics insisted on the terms of the 2009 purchase of the iPad brand name with the understanding that the mainland Chinese-registered trademarks were included in the worldwide rights to use the name.

Financially ailing Proview and Apple are sparring in courts in China and the U.S. over the issue, while the Chinese maker of computer screens and LED lights is seeking to have iPad sales and exports blocked.

Representatives for Proview were not immediately available for comment.