The Internet is abuzz today with the news that fake Apple stores are being discovered all over China. While China is a known hotbed for fake and counterfeit products, the newly found faux Apple stores are taking things to a whole new level. Not only has this imitation store ripped off the Apple products, but they have gone so far as to replicate the entire Apple experience.
From the wooden shelves and the sparse set up to the “Apple” employees wearing the telltale Apple blue shirt, visitors at this store would be hard-pressed to spot the differences between the fake and the real Apple. According to edibleapple.com, some of the workers actually believe that they are employed by an official Apple retail outlet. Almost every aspect of these sham stores seem to replicate the true “Apple” experience.
As noted at edibleapple.com, “a huge portion of Apple’s record-breaking revenue recorded during the past quarter originated in China.” Shockingly, Apple only has a few stores in Beijing and Shanghai. Per NPR, reporters from the BirdAbroad blog visiting the store noticed subtle differences in both the aesthetic quality of the stores and the service customers receive at said stores.
The technology might not be technically stolen. According to NPR “a store employee reached by phone has confirmed that the store is not an authorized Apple reseller. The salesman said products in the store are genuine Apple products sold at the same price as those advertised on Apple’s website. But everything from the branding to the concept was, which begs the question: Is this the newest technology threat?
Apple is one of the most popular, widely recognized, technically lauded brands in the world. If their product design and branding can be ripped off and resold, what tech company is safe? While it is widely acknowledged that China isn’t recognized for their adherence to intellectual property law, this is one of, if not the most, flagrant examples of brand commandeering in recent memory.
This threat does not only affect Apple, but myriad other technologies and companies. So how do companies attempt to safeguard from this type of product pilfering? In-store product registration at the time of purchase (either on the Internet or at the store) enables stores to track and monitor their inventory. Additionally, a product can only be registered once, so any duplicate or triplicate registrations can be easily noted.
While product tracking is a huge factor in monitoring and controlling products and, to some extent, branding, no brand is 100 percent secure from product replication and theft. For the most part, countries adhere to pre-established international property laws. For those that don’t, product tracking and registration is any tech company’s best bet to regulate the distribution of their products in international markets.
