Apple purchases iPad trademark from Fujitsu

Apple has used its cash to make sure the iPad, scheduled hit stores and UPS trucks (yes, even on Saturday) on April 3 will go off without a hitch. It's purchased the iPad trademark from Fujitsu.

The trademark reassignment took place on March 10, 2010, according to US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) records.

Last September, Apple began opposition proceedings challenging the validity of Fujitsu's iPad trademark. Nothing ever really came of it, although filed three requests for extensions.

Apple had the same sort of issue with the first-generation iPhone. Cisco owned the trademark on that term. A week after Apple announced the original iPhone, Cisco sued. Of course, it was all really posturing, as the two companies agreeed that both could use the name for their differnt products: a VOIP phone for Cisco, and the venerable smartphone for Apple.

One must assume there was some cash greasing the wheel in that deal, as well.