iPad ban: Court says no in Shanghai

SHANGHAI: A Shanghai court has rejected a request by a Chinese technology firm that the sale of Apple Inc's iPads be halted across the affluent Chinese city, a source with direct knowledge of the ruling said on Thursday.

The company, Proview Technology (Shenzhen), had been seeking the injunction against Apple as part of its battle with the US tech giant over the iPad trademark in China.

The Shanghai Pudong New Area People's Court ruled in Apple's favor after a hearing on Wednesday, the source said, confirming a report by the website of local newspaper Xinmin Evening News.

Earlier, a Shanghai court began hearing on Wednesday a case brought by a Chinese technology firm seeking to halt the sale of Apple Inc's iPads across the affluent Chinese city, accusing the US firm of trademark infringement.

Proview says it owns the iPad trademark in China and a Shenzhen court ruled in its favour last December.

Apple disputes Proview's ownership of the trademark, saying it bought the trademark from Proview in 2009. The firm has appealed the Shenzhen judgement, with a higher court hearing set for Feb. 29 in China's southern province of Guangdong.