Apple pulls iPad from unauthorized sites

Apple Inc (AAPL.NASDAQ) has pulled its iPad 2 tablet from the websites of some unauthorized merchants in China, including Amazon.com Inc's (AMZN.NASDAQ) Chinese site and Jingdong's 360buy.com, The Wall Street Journal reported. People with knowledge of the matter said the removal was not related to Apple's long-running dispute over the iPad trademark in China with Shenzhen-based Proview International Holdings (0334.HKG). That conflict intensified Tuesday, when Proview announced that it had filed a request with China's customs bureau to block the import and export of iPads. Proview earlier this month filed a complaint with a Shanghai court, alleging that its earlier deal with Apple, in which it sold Apple domestic rights for the "iPad" trademark, included only some cities, not the entire China market. Proview's requests are still pending; if the court chooses to rule in favor of Proview, however, that could be a serious problem for Apple, potentially preventing it from selling tablets it produces in China around the world.