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    China officials find 5 fake Apple stores in 1 city

    BEIJING (AP) — Chinese officials have found five fake Apple stores in the southwestern city of Kunming, and ordered two of them to suspend business while they're investigated, a local government website said Monday.

    Officials couldn't do anything about the other three stores — which prominently displayed Apple signs and logos — because they did not find any fake Apple products for sale, according to a report by a local newspaper posted on the Kunming city government's website.

    The investigation follows a blog post last week by an American woman who lives in Kunming in Yunnan province, who stumbled across three shops masquerading as bona fide Apple stores in the city. She took photos and posted them on her BirdAbroad blog.

    She said they were modeled on the company's iconic stores right down to the winding staircase and the staff wearing the customary blue T-shirts.

    After the blog appeared on Wednesday, the Kunming Trade and Industry Bureau inspected more than 300 electronics stores in Kunming and found the five fake Apple stores, the city government's website said.

    Calls to the Kunming Trade and Industry Bureau rang unanswered Monday.

    The maker of the iPhone and other hit gadgets has four company stores in China — two in Beijing and two in Shanghai — and various official resellers.

    The proliferation of the fake stores underlines the slow progress that China's government is making in countering a culture of a rampant piracy and widespread production of bogus goods that is a major irritant in relations with trading partners.

     

    449 comments

    • KODIAK57  •  10 mths ago
      China? Fake stores, crappy products? Really? Who would have ever thought? Better watch out America, if we keep borrowing from China and giving to Iraq, Afganistan and every other hole that makes up the armpit of the world you will all be speaking Chinese soon!
      • JoeP 10 mths ago
        Now the Chinese are buying American companies and shutting them down. We are screwed!
    • StevenD  •  10 mths ago
      I think china is secretly sending us fake politicians as well.
    • .  •  10 mths ago
      China sells to us with one hand and steals from us with the other. This is NOT an isolated incident, and China's government does NOTHING but put on a temporary show when it gets negative attention.
    • independent  •  10 mths ago
      you can blame Nixon, bush, clinton, bush Obama. What the hey, just blame washington!!!!
    • CameronS  •  10 mths ago
      Apparently few people here have actually been to China. This Apple store is nothing. In Shanghai they have an entire indoor mall (connected right beside a major subway station) that is filled with over 100 shops that carry only knock off American and European goods, from watches and fountain pens to purses, sport shoes and fashion. And then there are the knock off DVD stores.. that make HMV and Virgin look like garage sales. And in a nation with more amusement parks than any country on the planet... I'm not even going to start about their fake Disneyland, castle and all.
      • Lorin 10 mths ago
        That would mostly be true in every city with a subway.
      • P Y O A 10 mths ago
        I've lived here 9 years, and you are 100% correct.
      • Lukman 10 mths ago
        My country also, and i believe the same to other countries
    • gary  •  10 mths ago
      One of these days China will tell the American people to "look somewhere else" when they need computer components, auto parts, or just about anything else we've become dependent on China for our livelihoods. What will we do then? They have us over a barrel, and they know it.
      • Downline Records 10 mths ago
        we have the designs, don't worry it's all good
      • thrillhouse 10 mths ago
        then some other people/nation will make these products. it's called capitalism.
      • Charlie 10 mths ago
        Its the slave wages in China and American greed that made it that way.
    • Jean  •  10 mths ago
      Amazing how they find & punish them soon after it makes world news.
      Makes you wonder if the punishment is for the crime or for the unwanted publicity?
      • . 10 mths ago
        The latter. Bingo.
    • mario  •  10 mths ago
      i like to buy products made in usa but it is alot eaiser to find water in the moon!
    • idomyownloan  •  10 mths ago
      John Smith started the day early,
      having set his alarm clock (MADE IN JAPAN) for 6 am.

      While his coffeepot (MADE IN CHINA) was perking,
      he shaved with his electric razor (MADE IN HONG KONG),
      and put on a dress shirt (MADE IN SRI LANKA),
      designer jeans (MADE IN SINGAPORE) and
      tennis shoes (MADE IN KOREA).

      After cooking his breakfast in his new
      electric skillet (MADE IN INDIA),
      he sat down with his calculator (MADE IN MEXICO),
      to see how much he could spend today.

      After setting his watch (MADE IN TAIWAN)
      to the radio (MADE IN INDIA),
      he got in his car (MADE IN JAPAN),
      filled it with GAS (from SAUDIA ARABIA)
      to continued his search for a good paying AMERICAN JOB.

      At the end of yet another discouraging and fruitless day
      checking his Computer (made in MALAYSIA),
      John decided to relax for a while.

      He put on his sandals (MADE IN BRAZIL),
      poured himself a glass of wine (MADE IN FRANCE)
      and turned on his TV (MADE IN INDONESIA),


      and then wondered why he can't find
      a good paying job in AMERICA.

      And now he is hoping he can get help
      from the president (MADE IN KENYA)?
      • JF 10 mths ago
        you are on to something....(MADE IN MY MIND)
      • Mitch F 10 mths ago
        Unless you're Native American... you come from people (MADE SOMEWHERE ELSE)
      • tony 10 mths ago
        People in the USA are made up of people who were able to think outside of the box, of which their own country is in....................
    • A Yahoo! User  •  10 mths ago
      Buy american made products and quit complaining if you hate china made stuff.
    • Getalife  •  10 mths ago
      Let me guess the TRUE STORY behind the " story"!
      Five fake Apple stores in Kunming didn't pay Bribe Money to Local Officials.
      When they were raided,Four paid up,so the Officials "found no Apple Products".
      The other Store couldn't raise enough Bribe money,so the Officials found Apple Stock.
      Welcome to the REAL CHINA.
    • Dan R  •  10 mths ago
      Every body is laughing at the USA. Of course corporate America could care less. There greed will eventually bring us down.
    • Elmer F  •  10 mths ago
      When is this country going to learn that China can not be trusted? Let's throw in Russia and Pakistan and a few others while we are at it.
    • MRWL  •  10 mths ago
      AMERICANS ARE SLAVES TO ASIAN CORPORATIONS SUCH AS SONY, TOYOTA, NISSAN, HONDA, CANNON, NIPPON, PANASONIC, SAMSUNG, KIA, AND OTHER HUNDREDS OF ASIAN CORPS. BUT THEY DON'T FEEL GRATEFUL BUT ONLY ENVIED AND COMPLAINED TO GIVE JOBS AWAY. YOU STUPID AMERICANS ARE SO PATHETIC.
    • Tiramisu  •  10 mths ago
      The Chinese are only imitators and not inventors.
    • MARK  •  10 mths ago
      great to see apple and steve jobs getting it up the #$%$ for selling out AMERICA, THE AMERICAN WORKER AND OUR WAYOF LIFE, THEY HAVE REAPED WHAT THEY HAVE SOWEN.
    • boiledcrabs  •  10 mths ago
      Apple wouldn't be having this problem if they didn't export those jobs to the communists.
    • Anthony  •  10 mths ago
      China officials find 5 fake Apple stores in 1 city... while looking to purchase their own knock off iPads. That's not news, that's just normal for them. Theifs.
    • ProService  •  10 mths ago
      All American designed products should be made in the old USA! Problems solved...
    • the verb  •  10 mths ago
      Even the investigators were fake.
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