A court in Shanghai threw out a civil case against Apple Inc. last Thursday, citing a lack of evidence in a trademark dispute, and ruled the US computer giant could continue iPad sales in the city.

The Shanghai case marked a victory for Apple in a protracted and ongoing legal battle with the debt-laden Proview Technology over rights to the iPad name.

In opening arguments on Wednesday, Proview said it owned the Chinese rights to the ‘iPad’ name and was seeking legal backing to force the US technology giant to stop selling the tablet computer in the city, where Apple has three stores.

It is very rare for a Chinese enterprise to accuse an overseas firm of trademark breaches – although foreign companies frequently complain of intellectual property rights violations in China.

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