Officials in the southwestern Chinese city of Kunming have forced 22 fake Apple Stores to stop using the company's trademark after receiving a complaint from Apple.
Last month, a blogger living in Kunming uncovered five counterfeit stores that looked very similar to an official Apple Store, down to the acrylic product information panels and long wooden display tables. Apple-style advertisements appeared plastered on the walls throughout the store, and employees were even clad in blue Apple T-shirts and typical white name tags.
According to a Friday posting on the Kunming city government site, Apple's Shanghai office lodged a complaint to the Kunming Trade and Industry Bureau on August 2. The stores had until August 10 to remove all Apple trademarks, including logos and signage. Every store has complied, the post says.
In July, the report of the fake stores caused a flood of media attention, prompting Chinese industrial and commercial authorities to inspect 300 electronics retailers in Kunming, which resulted in the closure of two stores. Those stores weren't closed because of infringing on Apple trademarks, but because they lacked the necessary business licenses, Reuters reported.
Apple has had a meteoric rise in popularity in China, especially in the past year. Company COO Tim Cook said in an earnings call last month that sales in China increased more than six-fold in the past year. He added that China was "very key" to Apple's Q3 results, in which the country generated $3.8 billion in revenue for Apple.
Perhaps as a mark of that popularity, the fake store phenomenon is not limited to Kunming. In fact, an American businesswoman living revealed exclusively to PCMag a faux Apple shop in Chengdu, a city located about 523 miles northeast of Kunming.
Apple has not spoken publicly on the controversy and did not respond to multiple requests for comment.