More 22 Fake Apple Stores Found in China: Were the iPhone, iPads Real?
A posed picture shows a fake iPhone 3GS charging next to an Apple logo on a Macbook Air laptop in Beijing July 22, 2011. A fake Apple store in China, made famous by a blog that said even the staff working there didn't realize it was a bogus outlet, is probably the most audacious example to date of the risks Western companies face in the booming Chinese market. The less-publicised phenomenon of unauthorised vendors setting up shop to peddle real products has grown alongside China's manufacturing prowess. Many of the factories that produce brand-name goods on contract have been known to do extra runs of the goods to make extra cash, analysts say. REUTERS

The “fake Apple Store” story in July about a couple of fake stores in Kumming, which had begun a crackdown on Aug. 2, has revealed 22 more fake Apple store in the city.

China being the fastest growing economy, is undergoing remarkable and rapid changes. Fake iPhones, fake watches and fake clothes are in abundance in China, but it’s shocking to find a slew of counterfeit stores which seemed like a legit Apple store.

Apple has filed a trademark lawsuit against 50 John Does and businesses over several fake Apple stores, ordering to stop using Apple logo by Aug. 10.

These stores were designed to look like real Apple store with the architecture, Apple’s logo, employees’ blue t-shirts and the large lanyard name tags.

However, the blogger who first wrote about it, noticed that the name tags didn’t have names in it, the poor quality of building materials and “Apple Stoer” written with a spelling error on the signs.

Even the staffs were convinced that they were working for the real store.

However, it is not clear whether the shops were selling knock-off Apple products or genuine but smuggled products.

There are several resellers of Apple and other electronic brands in China selling real products, but they buy their goods overseas and smuggle them into the country to escape taxes.

"China has taken great steps to enforce intellectual property rights and the stores weren't selling fake products," Chang Puyun, Kunming government's business bureau spokesperson confirmed.

Apple is a highly popular brand in China and it has four official stores in the country— two in Beijing and two in Shanghai. China has reportedly been the second largest market for downloads from Apple’s App Store.

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