A court in China’s southern Guangdong province told Apple (AAPL.Nasdaq) to attempt an out-of-court settlement with Proview Technology (part of Proview International, 334.HKG) over its iPad trademark in the country, the South China Morning Post reported. The case, heard before the Guangdong Higher People’s Court on Wednesday, is an appeal after a lower court ruled against the US tech giant. Experts say the appeals ruling will likely be final, unless exceptional conditions allowed Apple to pursue a retrial at the Supreme People’s Court in Beijing. Proview says that it deserves US$2 billion in compensation for the iPad name, which it trademarked in China and other jurisdictions between 2000 and 2004. A court in Shanghai rejected an effort by Proview last week to block Apple’s iPad sales in that city until the Guangdong court ruled on the appeal.
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