Apple is quite serious when it comes to copyright infringement and does not take things lying down when someone tries to copy it. We have seen how aggressive Apple was when it claimed that the Samsung’s Galaxy Tab was a copy of the iPad 2 in terms of design. They eventually succeeded in stopping the sales of the Galaxy Tab in Europe for the same reason.
In the ongoing war of the patents, every large scale company we see is trying to acquire as many patents as possible, and due to this, we are seeing companies suing each other for copyright violations. Apple and Samsung are suing each other, Nokia is suing Apple and Microsoft is suing Google to mint more money from Android Smartphones.
Earlier today, Google officially announced the acquisition of the mobile division of Motorola for $12.5 billion ($40 per share) in cash. Why? Because Google desperately wants to put an end to all the intimidation and lawsuits from companies like Apple, Microsoft and Oracle, and the only way to stop it is by acquiring companies that have huge amounts of patents, and that is one of the reasons why Google decided to buy Motorola.
Coming back to Apple and the fake Apple stores in Knuming (China), the Chinese authorities found out that these stores were not licensed by Apple, and has ordered them to stop using the Apple brand and logo anywhere in their store. Apple China, on the other hand, has accused the stores of biased competition and trademark infringement. But it looks like the owners of the “fake” stores are taking a “smarter” step in rebranding it. One such store has been rebranded to “Smart Store” from the not-to-be-used Apple Store.
Here are some images shared by MIC Gadget
The rebranded “Smart Store” is facing a shut down if it does not remove Apple trademarks, and other stores are facing similar deadlines. It is likely that each one of these stores will get a new name and remove the Apple logo from their stores to continue with their business as usual. However, with all the media attention, it is expected that the Chinese authorities will close this store soon if they aren’t doing so already.
