More than a trademark

Industry insiders say the impact of the case goes beyond a trademark.

"It is hard to say which side is cheating the other," Wang said. "It has now come to a stage that is not just as simple as a trademark dispute, but rather like fighting for bigger benefits.

"One trademark can revive a company, and can ruin it, too," he said. "Foreign companies have been using intellectual property as a weapon on Chinese counterparts and the iPad event may become a great victory for a Chinese company in the IP battlefield.

"But in the end, they must calm down and compete in a rational way," he added.

"Compared with developed countries, China has limited competence in protecting intellectual property rights," said attorney Qu. "Today, competition among big companies is about intellectual property."

"Apple products have very simple names that are easy to register as trademarks by others," said You. "If Apple insists it will not change the names, it has to face the problem of purchasing trademarks on a global scale."

Facebook, another global IT giant, has filed dozens of trademark applications in China since 2006, although it has yet to enter the market.

China Daily