Apple filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against two tiny, Chinatown stores in New York City for allegedly selling Apple knockoff accessories.
The stores, named Apple Story and Fun Zone, are both owned by Janie Po Chiang, who is accused of selling unauthorized iPod, iPad and iPhone accessories branded with the Apple logo. The lawsuit also asks that Apple Story change its name to prevent confusion with the Apple Store, according to Mashable. The lawsuit was filed July 25, but wasn't made public until Thursday.
Apparently Apple sent representatives over to the Chinatown stores in Queens to purchase several of the alleged knockoffs as proof for the complaint. It's so far worked, with U.S. District Judge Kiyo Matsumoto ordering both stores to stop selling counterfeit goods but hasn't ruled on changing Apple Story's name, according to Reuters.
Apple has previously battled fake Apple stores in China and likely has continuously fought any Apple knockoffs that could tarnish the company's image. A second-rate copy masquerading as an Apple product could greatly harm its product quality, with few people guessing it's counterfeit. The only surprise here is how pervasive the problem is and how vigilant Apple has become. Do you think Apple will now create a special squad to battle counterfeit Apple products?
