Today's SCMP has an article about a Shenzhen company that has opened four "Apple Store" outlets in Kunming. The stores have the same look, logo, and staff uniforms as the real Apple stores. Apple has been unable to register the trademark "Apple Store" because, authorities say, there are too many other "apple" vendors, including fruit companies. Neither "apple" nor "store" are specific enough. Astonishingly, a lawyer interviewed in the story argues that Apple (the CA company) should not complain because this other company (which sells its own cheaper products, but in the same Apple colors) is actually helping to promote the Apple brand. That may be true, but it is also possible that it is destroying the Apple brand's reputation for high quality, and in any case, only the fake "Apple Store" is benefiting from selling the fakes.
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