Apple lost a lawsuit over the rights to the term "iPad" in China, and now its über-popular tablet might be in the process of being yanked out of Chinese stores.


There are reports that the Chinese Administrations of Industry and Commerce are confiscating iPads found on sale. The report says, though, that in some cases it's just for show, and the stores are selling iPads to people who ask for them specifically.


The spat actually started when Apple sued Proview Technology Shenzen over the name—even though the company's Hong Kong branch had sold the rights to Apple back in 2009. While logic seems to favor Apple in this particular dispute, it's hard not to chuckle a bit at Apple getting socked in the nose in a lawyer fight it started. [Xinhua, Hebei Youth Daily via DigiCha]