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Apple proposes settlement with Queens-area knockoff stores
Reuters reports that two Apple-knockoff stores located in the Queens borough of New York City have been offered a settlement agreement, currently under judicial review. Apple's proposed settlement mandates that the stores hand over all products bearing Apple's trademarks and branding; one store called Apple Story has also agreed to change its name to something a bit less infringing. This brings a swift end to a saga that only started a couple months ago. Counterfeited items bearing Apple's trademarks were seized from both stores in July, which followed Apple's initial filing of the suit only two days earlier. According to court filings, Apple hired private investigators to buy many items from both stores earlier this year in order to amass evidence for the case. Apple has found itself a popular target for counterfeiters recently, with fake Apple Stores popping up in China around the same time as the suit against the Queens-area counterfeiters began.
Apple cracks down on counterfeit products being sold in NYC
NYC may not have as many fake Apple stores as China, but it has a few and they've caught the eye of Apple. Apple has executed several seizure warrants and removed fake goods that carry the Apple logo or name from these stores. A trademark infringement lawsuit has halted sales of the alleged knockoffs while a District Court Judge Kiyo Matsumoto considers the case. Apple has asked that one store, known as Apple Story, change its name to avoid confusion with Apple's retail chain. The Cupertino company is also asking for monetary damages and a vendor list so it can trace back the origin of these counterfeit goods. [Via Engadget; image from f-paper]
China finds and shuts down 22 more fake Apple Stores
Chinese authorities already shut down two fake Apple Stores located in the Kunming area, but that was apparently just the opening salvo. According to Reuters, 22 more unauthorized Apple retailers have now been located and shuttered. It's not clear from the report if these retailers went all-out like the first two, with stores that looked virtually identical to the real thing. Sources were also unable to confirm if these retailers were actually selling Apple products or just broadly similar fakes. Situations like this are apparently an ongoing issue in China, which is generally lax about enforcing copyright or IP restrictions. Given that the majority of Apple's devices are manufactured in Chinese factories, it's not particularly surprising that so many of them are finding their way onto the grey and black markets of China, and this latest crackdown is probably only a temporary setback for these fake retailers.
Angry customers respond to fake Apple Stores
A casual blog piece about a fake Apple Store in Kunming, China went viral this week and exposed a thriving underground retail industry based on false appearances. From the inside and out, these fake Apple stores look real, but they're not. And their customers who are just now discovering the truth about these stores are not too pleased. Take, for example, Ms. Wang who spent 14,000 yuan ($2,170) on an iPhone and a 13-inch Macbook from the fake Kunming store. She spent a lot of money and doesn't know if her notebook and a phone are fake. She never received a receipt and the store, not surprisingly, refuses to help. Ironically, these fake store owners are also upset. Up until now, they have been operating under the radar, but now the eyes of the world are upon them, scrutinizing what they do. Some are defending their practices, others just want the spotlight to go away. Now there's a hunt for more fake Apple Stores across the globe, as Reuters reports. Fake Apple Stores have been reported in Colombia, Costa Rica and Vietnam. It's a crazy situation. Thus far, Apple has remained silent. It'll be interesting to see how the company will respond to such blatant forgery.
No comment: Faux Apple Stores in China
It seems several completely unauthorized "Apple Stores" have been spotted in Kunming, China by the author of the blog BirdAbroad. While Apple's Q3 earnings call mentioned the exploding Asian market, Apple's official Apple Stores are only found in Beijing and Shanghai -- stores opened with much ballyhoo and attention to detail. These stores look almost identical to real Apple Stores, with blue-shirted employees wearing badges with Apple logos, and a spiral staircase. But they are not real, with a few tell-tale signs: the badges have no names and the stores have the words "Apple Store" on the signage, not just the glowing Apple logo. One is even labeled "Apple Stoer" -- a typo seen more often on unofficial Apple blogs (not including ours!) than Apple's retail establishments. Check out the post on BirdAbroad to see the pictures of the stores and the staff, and shake your head in disbelief. [via ifoAppleStore]
Egyptian "I-Phone" store peeped
We're starting to see enough of these knockoff stores, that they almost warrant a feature of their own. Today's shop is an iPhone store that, of course, doesn't sell iPhones and we'd bet boatloads of cake isn't affiliated in any way with Apple. The gent who took the pic goes on to say that in his experience, Egyptian stores like this count on the big brand names to draw customers, and we agree, "i-Phone team" rocks as a name. So if you have some fun pictures in this vein, fire them our way, we love this stuff.
