據稱蘋果（Apple）從唯冠（Proview International Holdings）手中購得iPad商標後35天，史蒂夫 喬布斯就在於舊金山舉行的新聞發佈會上公佈了該設備。以下是蘋果購得該商標的過程：

　　蘋果聘請一家名為Farncombe International的英國公司及其常務董事格雷厄姆 羅賓遜，充當自己的秘密代理。

　　羅賓遜隨後在英國成立一家名為IP Application Development Limited的皮包公司（簡稱“IPAD Ltd”）

　　羅賓遜隱瞞了自己實為蘋果代理的事實，化名為喬納森 哈格裏夫斯與台灣唯冠進行談判。

　　當被問及為何需要此商標時，羅賓遜稱，iPad是IP Application Development的縮寫。

　　當問到IPAD Ltd的具體業務時，羅賓遜採取了回避的態度。他説：“我相信你們能理解，由於公司還沒有發佈任何公開聲明，所以我們還沒準備好公開公司的業務信息。”

　　羅賓遜還在電子郵件中明確保證：“我們不會和唯冠形成競爭。”

　　以上細節，有的我們已經熟知，有的還是第一次聽説。它們的來源都是本週一唯冠發佈的一篇新聞稿。新聞稿指出，（唯冠）已修改在加州聯邦法院對蘋果提起的控訴，指控蘋果“蓄意誤導詐騙、隱瞞欺詐、引誘詐騙以及不公平競爭。”

　　蘋果就此發表評論時，完全沒有否認起訴書中提到的上述細節。相反，它再次發佈了公司大概一週前就已發佈的一篇聲明。

　　“我們已在數年前購買了唯冠在全球十個不同國家的（iPad商標）所有權。唯冠拒絕履行協議中涉及中國部分。香港一家法院已表示支持蘋果。我們在中國大陸的訴訟仍在進行中。”

　　諷刺的是，唯冠正試圖使美國法院判決一項協議無效，而該公司在中國當地的法院中卻聲稱該協議並不存在。蘋果稱自己根據該協議購買了在中國大陸地區對iPad商標的所有權。

　　唯冠在新聞稿中對此回應道：

　　“（我們）在中國和美國提起的法律訴訟和賠償請求完全是兩回事，兩者之間沒有任何聯絡。”

　　譯者：項航

　　Here‘s how Apple (AAPL) allegedly got Proview International Holdings to sell them the iPad trademark 35 days before Steve Jobs unveiled the device at a San Francisco press conference.

　　Apple hired a British firm called Farncombe International and its managing director, Graham Robinson, to be its secret agent.

　　Robinson created a British shell company called IP Application Development Limited ("IPAD Ltd.").

　　Using the alias Jonathan Hargreaves, Robinson opened talks in Taiwan with Proview, concealing the fact that he was negotiating on Apple‘s behalf.

　　Asked why he wanted the trademark, Robinson said it was an acronym for IP Application Development.

　　Asked what business IPAD Ltd. was in, Robinson was evasive: "I‘m sure you can understand that we are not ready to publicize what the company‘s business is," he said, "since we have not yet made any public announcements."

　　He further stated, apparently in an e-mail, that "the company will not compete with Proview."

　　These details -- some familiar, some fresh -- come from a Proview press releaseissued Monday. It describes an amended complaint filed in a California federal court that is charging Apple with "fraud by intentional misrepresentation, fraud by concealment, fraudulent inducement, and unfair competition."

　　Reached for comment, Apple denied none of the details in the complaint. Rather, it issued the same statement it‘s been giving out for nearly a week:

　　"We bought Proview‘s worldwide rights to the iPad trademark in 10 different countries several years ago. Proview refuses to honor their agreement with Apple in China and a Hong Kong court has sided with Apple in this matter. Our case is still pending in mainland China."

　　The irony is that Proview is trying to get a U.S. court to nullify an agreement that it claims in Chinese courts never existed -- namely the one that Apple says sold them the rights to the iPad trademark in mainland China.

　　Proview‘s press release has answer for that:

　　"The legal questions and remedies in the China and U.S. lawsuits are separate and distinct and have no bearing on one another."