Solandri
Distinguished
[citation][nom]ericburnby[/nom][Don't be upset you sold the rights for a measly $55,000. Even back in 2009 everyone and his dog knew about the iPod and iPhone. Surely someone could see the value in the iPad trademark and decide to hold onto it instead of letting it go for that sum. Wonder who the idiot was that agreed to that amount?[/citation]
1) Negotiations like this for unreleased products are typically done in proxy by law firms. Proview/Taiwan most likely had no way to tell if were negotiating with Apple, or with a speculator betting on Apple picking iPad as the name for its tablet. Big companies do this precisely for the reasons you've outlined - if people knew they were negotiating with Apple, they'd ask for more money knowing that the buyer had deep pockets.
2) The iPad was named iPad in large part due to the low price Apple paid for the name. If Proview/Taiwan had demanded a gazillion dollars for the rights to the name iPad, Apple simply would have named it something else.
1) Negotiations like this for unreleased products are typically done in proxy by law firms. Proview/Taiwan most likely had no way to tell if were negotiating with Apple, or with a speculator betting on Apple picking iPad as the name for its tablet. Big companies do this precisely for the reasons you've outlined - if people knew they were negotiating with Apple, they'd ask for more money knowing that the buyer had deep pockets.
2) The iPad was named iPad in large part due to the low price Apple paid for the name. If Proview/Taiwan had demanded a gazillion dollars for the rights to the name iPad, Apple simply would have named it something else.