Fake Apple Stores In China Are On The Decline

Due to stricter copyright laws and laws to protect intellectual property in the US, finding a fake Apple retail store is next to impossible. However over in China, such stores used to run rampant several years ago where not only did the shops look like the official Apple Store, but employees were also given similar uniforms.

In fact there was once this story about an employee who had no idea he was working in a fake Apple Store. That being said, a report from Reuters has recently noted that the number of fake Apple Stores in China are said to be on the decline. Some claim that this is because interest in Apple products in China are on the decline, while others speculate that Apple might be working with the government to clamp down on these stores harder.

A third possibility is that with Apple expanding their official retail presence in the country, residents of China are starting to wisen up to these fake stores, leading to their decline. The third option is probably the most likely, especially since Apple will be opening its 33rd store in the country this week, with plans to expand to 40 locations by the middle of the year.

In the meantime some of these fake stores have since been replaced by regular smartphone stores which sells local brands such as Xiaomi, Huawei, Meizu, OPPO, and etc.

Tyler Lee
Categories: Apple
Tags: China, Legal, Piracy