The problems of fake Apple stores in China are far from over because the authorities in Beijing obliges this kind of stores should display the Apple logo on any display stand or in the name of the company. A campaign to discover and warn these stores was started by the authorities in Beijing, but for now very few of the targeted stores have taken measures to comply with the warnings. Some patrons only partially covered the Apple logos in the stores and others did not forbid the employees to wear the blue t-shirts that the employees of the real Apple stores wear.
Beijing's city government is attempting to crack down on local retailers exploiting Apple's logo and other branding. Businesses not licensed by Apple are being told to cover up any of the company's logos, and avoid terms like "Apple authorized reseller" or "Apple direct retailer". The focused anti-spoofing campaign is expected to last a month. The local government officials remark that the sheer number of unauthorized vendors may be affecting the authorized ones. Authorized seller complains that the unauthorized competitors can offer fake or smuggled Apple products, and will often use much larger Apple logos without Apple's permission...
Most of the efforts of the Chinese government were concentrated in Zhongguancun district, a "paradise" of stolen or counterfeit electronics. In that area there are many Apple "stores" that the authorities in Beijing are following and that they will probably close considering that certain Apple representatives would have helped the authorities to discover which stores are not affiliated with the Apple company. From my point of view, such operations will never be successful as long as they aim only to warn and not to close shops that flagrantly violate the rights of other companies.
