Just as Apple paid $60 million to Proview Technology for the rights to the "iPad" name, another Chinese company is claiming Apple is infringing on one of its trademarks and is seeking approximately $80,000 in damages.
The target of the lawsuit this time? Apple's "Snow Leopard," the name given to OS X version 10.6.
Jiangsu Xuebao -- a Chinese household chemicals manufacturer -- registered a copyright for the Chinese translation of "Snow Leopard" in 2000, according to M.I.C. Gadget, a blog focused on Chinese technology.
The first release of Apple's Snow Leopard arrived in the summer of 2009. Apple reportedly tried to register the "Xuebao" trademark in 2008 for use in selling Snow Leopard in Chinese stores, but it was rejected by China's trademark office. Apple has not used the "Xuebao" translation to sell Snow Leopard on their official Chinese-language website.
While most of Jiangsu Xuebao's products are common items such as toothpaste and cleaning supplies, the company also sells electronic equipment, such as touchscreens. Those devices bring the company into the same sphere of operations as Apple.
Xuebao's case against Apple is scheduled to be heard in a Shanghai court on July 10. Xuebao wants a formal apology from Apple on top of the financial compensation. It has also sued four other Chinese companies who market and sell Apple's Snow Leopard operating system.
Meanwhile, a U.S. court is holding the domestic release of several Samsung devices as Apple is suing the company for patent infringement.