Fujitsu lays claim to the iPad brand

20:44 1st February 2010

Japanese technology group Fulitsu has claimed ownership of the iPad trademark just a few hours after Apple launched its latest gadget under the same brand.

"It is our understanding that the name is ours," Fujitsu's public relations director Masahiro Yamane told the New York Times, adding that the company is consulting lawyers about its next steps.

The Fujitsu iPad, a mobile device for verifying the cost of retail goods, confirming sales and checking inventory data, has a colour touch screen and supports VoIP telephone calls.

In 2003, Fujitsu's application for trademark came to a standstill because of an earlier claim by security company Magtek.

The Japanese group renewed its application to the US Patent and Trademark Office in June 2009 but in July 2009 Apple applied for an international trademark for the iPad.

In other news, mid-market smartphone devices will become "progressively smarter" in 2010, according to a market analyst.

Conrad Longmore, editor at Mobile Gazette, said that the sophisticated handsets will offer features that would previously have been limited to phones at the top end of the market.

Written by Paul Davis ADNFCR-1667-ID-19591099-ADNFCR