Fujitsu filed its own trademark claim on the iPad name in 2003, and after Apple introduced its own iPad product in January, expressed interest in keeping the name for itself. “It’s our understanding that the name is ours,” commented Masahiro Yamane, Fujitsu’s director of public relations.
The company, however, let the trademark filing expire, but reactivated its filing application in June 2009. Apple filed its own claim on the iPad name in July 2009, and later filed opposition requests on Fujitsu’s application.
The two companies seem to have worked out their differences and reached an amicable agreement on who should own the iPad trademark — presumably involving Apple paying an undisclosed sum of money to Fujitsu in exchange for the company’s trademark.
Apple’s iPad is set to ship hit store shelves on April 3. It is a tablet device that offers movie and music playback, an ebook reader, runs iPhone OS and most iPhone apps, sports a 9.7-inch multitouch display, offers Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, and more.