China will not let foreign nationals purchase Chinese companies. If you are not from China, you can't own anything in China.
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Proview Seeking to Cut Off Apple's Worldwide Supply of iPads
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China will not let foreign nationals purchase Chinese companies. If you are not from China, you can't own anything in China.
I say Apple call Proview's bluff and say 'Ban exports' ( after stocking a few millions outside the country ). That will result in major turmoil in terms of loss of jobs which will force the Chinese governement to intervene and put this proview in its place.
This kind of stuff is so ridiculous. Apple bought the rights from the parent company but some lawyer put something in fine print in ambiguous language that they did not buy the rights for it in China. And the Chinese courts agree with that? Oh, come on!!
This kind of stuff is so ridiculous. Apple bought the rights from the parent company but some lawyer put something in fine print in ambiguous language that they did not buy the rights for it in China. And the Chinese courts agree with that? Oh, come on!!
You did read the part where it says they bought the worldwide rights to the name from the mother company?
This is a shakedown!
You are assuming there is even a tiny sliver of justification to this. There does not need to be a comma out of place. All you need is one Chinese judge to say, there is a non existent comma that might have been out of place, if it had existed.
For me, these three posts here sum up what will become of this "situation".
You really think apple matters that much to china? those ppl would probably find a job fast enough since they're already skilled labor.
Too little, too late.
Funny to see that now that China is more complaint with trademarks/etc because of all the moaning from the US, now the US public doesn't want them to respect them... If Proview actually owns the trademark since then, I do wonder what it'll take for apple to make the problem go away.
Which I'm going to go out on a limb and say it actually isn't a bad thing.
For one, most Chinese citizens can't even afford the products they produce, so there isn't a whole lot of cannibalization. These things are subpar products which break easily and don't perform well. Anyone is going to want the brand name if they can get it.
These products often have a lot of charm. Especially the famiclones (small consoles with "NES-on-a-chip" that can play NES and famicon games) and other things of that nature.
Some of these companies even turn out legitimate products. Meizu is a great example. They produced iPhone look-alike phones but are turning out to be a competent android phone manufacturer in China and could sell products here and worldwide soon. (much like Russian manufacturer ZTE).
I think China is doing the right thing by allowing these things to exist, but they should definitely never cut off their nose to spit their face.
They bought it from the wrong company - wrong set of rights! Did you not read?
Look deeper for motivation...
I can see this issue being used as leverage against Apple, as they come under increasing pressure to push for change in work conditions at Chinese vendors. The publicity, disruption and potential for economic loss to China is much larger than just Apple's business. Not to mention possible social implications.
I think there are bigger, deeper political motives here than just a trademark suit and Apple exports. China to Apple... "Don't be rocking this boat."
I can see this issue being used as leverage against Apple, as they come under increasing pressure to push for change in work conditions at Chinese vendors. The publicity, disruption and potential for economic loss to China is much larger than just Apple's business. Not to mention possible social implications.
I think there are bigger, deeper political motives here than just a trademark suit and Apple exports. China to Apple... "Don't be rocking this boat."
Foof!
In other news, space-based US early waning satellites earlier today detected what appeared to be the signature of a tactical thermonuclear device detonation centered on Proview headquarters in China...
In other news, space-based US early waning satellites earlier today detected what appeared to be the signature of a tactical thermonuclear device detonation centered on Proview headquarters in China...
China is in a bad situation here. If they side with Proview, they alienate the foreign companies that want to manufacture and assemble products in their country--not just Apple. If they side with Apple, they alienate a domestic company that is likely led by Party cadres.
We must stop looking at this as though it is being decided in a real court of law. It isn't. It's being decided in China, a country that has embraced some form of market economics but is still an authoritarian state.
Look at the photos we saw of police seizing iPads from shops. This was portrayed as the enforcement of this local court's ruling. In reality, it was probably nothing of the sort. Just local cops who knew they could shakedown the shop owner. In China, when the police give you an order, you follow it. You don't ask for documentation, warrants or the like. The implied threat of going to a labor camp is enough to make you comply.
This is how authoritarian governments work at all levels. The idea that Apple can simply plead it's case and win a reasonable verdict does not apply.
This case will likely end with the court finding in favor of Proview, levying a light fine and ordering Apple to pay Proview an amount significantly less than the maximum $1.6 billion. They will also likely enforce the other part of Proview's damages and order an apology.
This way the government can say they support the domestic company (and the party elites that likely run it) while not delivering a tremendous blow to Apple and scaring off foreign investment.
The problem however is that it will prove that even the most valuable company in the world is not so powerful that it can't be shaken down by a bunch of communist rats.
While I don't expect Apple to bring manufacturing back the the US any time soon (or any company for that matter). I do truly hope that this is a wakeup call to them and all the other companies who fund the Chinese government by doing business in their country.
We must stop looking at this as though it is being decided in a real court of law. It isn't. It's being decided in China, a country that has embraced some form of market economics but is still an authoritarian state.
Look at the photos we saw of police seizing iPads from shops. This was portrayed as the enforcement of this local court's ruling. In reality, it was probably nothing of the sort. Just local cops who knew they could shakedown the shop owner. In China, when the police give you an order, you follow it. You don't ask for documentation, warrants or the like. The implied threat of going to a labor camp is enough to make you comply.
This is how authoritarian governments work at all levels. The idea that Apple can simply plead it's case and win a reasonable verdict does not apply.
This case will likely end with the court finding in favor of Proview, levying a light fine and ordering Apple to pay Proview an amount significantly less than the maximum $1.6 billion. They will also likely enforce the other part of Proview's damages and order an apology.
This way the government can say they support the domestic company (and the party elites that likely run it) while not delivering a tremendous blow to Apple and scaring off foreign investment.
The problem however is that it will prove that even the most valuable company in the world is not so powerful that it can't be shaken down by a bunch of communist rats.
While I don't expect Apple to bring manufacturing back the the US any time soon (or any company for that matter). I do truly hope that this is a wakeup call to them and all the other companies who fund the Chinese government by doing business in their country.
simple solution:
shift all iPad production to Brazil and keep iPhone iPod touch production in china.
if proview and china continues in their shenanigans shift all production to foxconn factories in Brazil.
shift all iPad production to Brazil and keep iPhone iPod touch production in china.
if proview and china continues in their shenanigans shift all production to foxconn factories in Brazil.
Sure, its your money. In the end it won't make a difference.
And quality really has nothing to do with country of manufacture, it has more to do with price and product. There are a lot of pitiful Made in USA products too (think GM only a couple years ago) and great Made in China products (Thinkpad / iPhone).
They purchased the rights from the correct company. Now, the correct company is claiming, the sale was not complete because, the rights were owned by the assistant janitor, third shift.
Yes and the United States has soooo much credibility these days too ... Where are the WMDs?
It's funny how bias... and racist some of the comments are on this forum.
Apple seriously needs to widen their production base out of China. No good to have all eggs in that one basket.
China has a sovereign wealth fund that owns AAPL shares and shares of its suppliers and vendors. They own no AAPL bonds or debt.
Rocketman
Thanks, just wondered about the Government (USA)/legislation getting in the way of China buying Apple. Seems to be a lot of 'only Apple can buy' on the forum.
Cheers,
OW
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