PCR Tech and IT retail, distribution and vendor news
A Dutch company has pulled a tablet device called the nPad off shelves after Apple threatened legal action over the use of the word ‘Pad’.
According to Mac World, only one hundred of the Windows 7-based devices had been shipped by its manufacturer Nexocial, mostly for testing in large companies. The nPad had been designed for enterprise usage and used a custom interface based on Microsoft’s Sharepoint software.
However, Apple claimed that the name represented an infringement on its trademarks, and ordered Nexocial to change the name under threat of legal action. Choosing not to fight a legal battle, the Dutch company has pulled the nPad from availability.
“I’m sure the name ‘pad’ is not protected, it was used back in 1996 in Star Trek,” said Nexocial’s founder Hugo Leijtens. “Furthermore, several companies, amongst whom Asus, use that name for their tablets.”
