The Hunt for the Fake Apple Stores

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Apple StoreMore details emerge regarding a China-based blogger's discovery of counterfeit Apple stores in Kunming-- authorities close down two such stores while comments reveal such blatant copying is not exclusive to China.

Reuters says the closing of the 2 fake Apple stores (out of a total of 5) is not due to piracy- or copyright-related reasons, but "because the stores in the southwestern city did not have an official business permit."

China does have laws prohibiting the copying of other stores' "look and feel," but enforcement appears to be rather lacking-- not to mention the country's generally dismal record in intellectual property protection.

Reuters quotes authorites saying all 5 fake Apple stores sell "genuine Apple products". Kunming itself has 13 official Apple resellers, but no comment is available from them as yet.

Meanwhile the original blog post inspires an international hunt for similar fakes-- with commentors saying there's Apple imitation stores in Colombia and Vietnam, amongst others. It also gets an update, complete with video of one of the stores.

Go Chinese City Orders Two Fake Apple Shops to Close (Reuters)

Go China's Apple Store Knockoffs

Go Fake Apple Store Update (Birdabroad)