I'm afraid I can't do that, Dave
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Chinese police swoop on fake Apple sellers
CHINESE COPS have shut down an Apple counterfeiting business and arrested five men in Shanghai.
According to a report in the local newspaper, the Shanghai Daily, the gang of five was producing and selling fake Iphones at "downtown cell-phone markets". The police told the newspaper that the five might be just the first of the arrests, suggesting that more could be to come.
Despite being sold at markets the fake phones were well made, apparently, and could have fooled even the savviest of punters. The gang sounds professional too, and the police told reporters that members had specific roles, for purchasing components for example, which might have helped them hide their tracks.
"It's really hard for customers to distinguish the fake ones from the genuine ones," said one officer after a raid that netted some 200 fake phones and 5,000 components. "The cell phones sell well with more than 30 ... sold in one day," officers added.
The gang was led by a man called Dong who would hire teenagers to assemble the handsets in local apartments. Apparently they did rather a good job, as while the handsets had poor battery life they had all the same features and functions as the official Apple model.
This month Apple registered a number of patents in China as part of its bid to try to stamp out knockoffs in that country. It looks like things are going well so far. µ
Tags: Apple
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What I was referring to was China's blatant disregard for the Patent Cooperation Treaty. It's a process by which you can file a single application and the application will eventually find its way into each country you designate. The problem is, the Chinese are denying the applications and then leaking the details to their own citizens to open Chinese patents.
Just because Apple filed for patents in China doesn't mean the govt won't rip them off. Not that it matters; look at how long the fake Apple stores were in operation and the Chinese turned a blind eye until it wound up on CNN.
Remember, these are the people who put poison in watered down milk to fake the nutrient tests. Do you really think they care about paperwork?
"It's really hard for customers to distinguish the fake ones from the genuine ones"
Should be easy enough. The fake ones don't drop calls or have rubber bandaids :)
Typo correction on my previous post: 'you have to patent where you wish to protect stuff'
I accidentally left in 2 'you' and typed a g where there should be a h.
I think you should read your own quote, apple filed patents IN CHINA, so then they aren't foreign patent you see.
And incidentally I think you find that if I patent something in the UK the US won't protect it either, since patents are localized and there is nothing to enforce then, you gave to patent where you you wish to protect stuff.
I guess you never watched dragon's den did you?
"This month Apple registered a number of patents in China as part of its bid to try to stamp out knockoffs in that country. It looks like things are going well so far."
Good luck. The Chinese government has no respect for international patents.
It's odd that apple is allowed into china, I thought they severely cracked down on (semi-religious) cults there?