Apple is facing a new trouble in China with authorities seizing Apple iPads from retailers in a city in northern China after a Chinese company Proview Technology claimed that it owns the iPad name. The company is demanding similar action in 20 other cities.

Last year a Chinese court had given a ruling that Apple cannot use the name iPad for its tablet due to a copyright infringement claim made by Proview Technology.

The iPad name copyright actually belongs to Chinese company Proview Technology who has held it since 2001 in China and 2000 in a number of other regions. Apple knows this because they bought the rights to use the name from Proview in 2009 for $54,000. Importantly, Proview retained the right to the name in China when the deal was made.

The dispute might prove to be a roadblock for Apple to popularize its iPad in China which has a huge market potential.  

According to media reports the authorities started seizing seizing iPads on Thursday in Shijiazhuang, southwest of Beijing, after receiving letters from Shenzhen Proview.