22 more "fake" Apple Stores found in China; how many more are there?
Those who travel to China know that fakes—fake iPhones, fake watches, fake Louis Vuitton bags—are everywhere. But while it's easy for the average American to find counterfeit products, most of the Western world has been blissfully unaware of entire counterfeit stores—until recently, that is. Chinese authorities recently ordered the shutdown of two fake Apple Stores in Kunming, and now a whopping 22 more have been identified. And there's probably plenty more where that came from.
The "fake Apple Store" story exploded online in late July when the blog BirdAbroad posted photos of what looked and seemed like a legit Apple retail store that the blogger had encountered while traveling in China, but that she later discovered to be an entirely fake store. The store wasn't selling fake Apple products—customers could buy real iPads, real iPhones, and real Macs. And the employees, earnest as they were, apparently had no idea that they weren't actually working for Apple retail.
In the days following the discovery, Apple filed a trademark lawsuit against 50 John Does and businesses over various fake Apple Stores, and authorities in Kunming ordered two fake stores to close—not because they violated any trademarks, but because they didn't have proper business permits. At that time, Chinese law enforcement was already aware that there were more unauthorized stores, which is what undoubtedly led them to the discovery of 22 more faux Apple retail shops. According to Reuters, China's Administration for Industry and Commerce ordered the stores to stop using Apple's logo after Apple China filed a complaint about unfair competition and trademark infringement.
