Fujitsu reiterates its right to the iPad name
Apple has reportedly taken advantage of the fact that Fujitsu stopped responding to requests by the US Patent and Trademark Office, who declared the "iPad" name "abandoned," then began pursing it again last year, says Macworld UK. Apple has filed three petitions to extend the deadline to Feb. 28 to take the name away from Fujitsu, the article adds.
However, the latter company, which applied for an iPad trademark in 2003, "is claiming first dibs, setting up a fight with Apple over the name of the new tablet device that Apple plans to sell starting in March," reports the New York Times.
“It’s our understanding that the name is ours,†Masahiro Yamane, director of Fujitsu’s public relations division, told the Times. He said Fujitsu was aware of Apple’s plans to sell the iPad tablet and that the company was consulting lawyers over next steps.
Fujitsu’s iPad (pictured), which runs on Microsoft’s CE.NET operating system, has a 3.5-inch color touchscreen, an Intel processor and Wi-fi and Bluetooth connections. It also supports VoIP telephone calls over the Internet, a technology also used by Skype.
“Mobile is a keyword for Fujitsu’s iPad, too,†Yamane told the times. “With the iPad, workers don’t have to keep running back to a computer. They have everything right at their fingertips.â€