Japan’s Fujitsu stated that iPad name has been used for small engines and bra inserts. In 2002, Japan launched the iPad, a sleek handheld multimedia device with a 3.5-inch screen, used by retail store clerks to keep inventory data, scan barcodes and manage business operations.
In 2003, they made a trademark application for the iPad name with the US Patent and Trademark office, which is still pending and not yet registered. Fujitsu also had not decide what action they may take.
“They will probably have talks to settle this, given that the customers for their products do not overlap, and for the sake of their business ties in the future,” Inoue told AFP by telephone.
Moreover, several other companies worldwide have had the same idea, such as Siemens for their small engines and motors, STMicroelectronics, Swiss-based microchip has also registered “IPAD”, short for “Integrated Passive and Active Devices.”
There is also Coconut Grove Pads Inc. who has made a line of bra inserts and shoulder pads called the iPad.
Meanwhile in China, a company has used a different name — the “P88” — for an iPad look-alike, with a slightly larger screen, faster processor and larger memory but battery life of only 1.5 hours compared to the iPad’s 10 hours.