Apple’s iPad A Copy Of Chinese P88 Tablet?  Apple’s iPad |
A Chinese tablet maker Loong Brother has started the controversy by saying that the newly launched Apple iPad is a copy of its P88 tablet. Wu Xiaolong, the company's president described the iPad as a replica of Shenzhen Great Loong Brother's tablet.
Apple’s iPad is a mix between a laptop and a smartphone with functions similar to Apple's iPhone, but with a larger screen.
According to reports, Xiaolong has threatened to take legal action against Apple in case there is any attempt to sell the iPad in China.
Some of the major differences between the P88 and the iPad include the lack of multitouch functionality, different screen size and buttons in the former case. On the other hand, Apple iPad comes with different design and has a 9.7-inch LCD screen instead of 10.2-inch screen as in the Chinese P88 tablet.
According to Ilan Barzilay, an intellectual-property attorney and partner with Boston-based Seyfarth Shaw LLP, the P88 developer may have the right to take legal action in China but not in the US. Again, the Chinese company may not prove its case that the iPad is similar in features and functions. So, it is thought to be a hype to get the customers’ attention.
The P88 tablet was launched six months ago at the International Electronics Fair in Berlin.
"Apple is a pretty big company and if you are ready to start suit with them, you will have to be willing to go the distance," Barzilay said.
When asked about the dispute, Barzilay said, "Yes, Apple is selling a tablet computer, and yes, the P88 is similar, but the design is different, the interface is different, and it has different buttons.”
He also said, "The iPad has been rumored to be in development since the Apple Newton (MessagePad) failed, and it seems somewhat unlikely that they stole particular design elements from the P88."
According to an interpret analyst, "Tablets have been around for years and years and years.”
"Certainly the specific tablet's look and feel that Apple created is, at this point, clear that it is part of the iPhone and iPod touch family, so I'm not sure what the claim would be against them at this particular point. However, it is Apple and, of course, when Apple does something it often becomes the target of frivolous lawsuits," he added.
