<p>Why innovate when you can imitate?</p>
<p>[iFraud: Entire Apple stores being faked in China](<a href=“http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2015679675_apaschinaapple.html”>http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2015679675_apaschinaapple.html</a>)</p>
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<p>LOL. An Apple store? BFD. Just a notch above faking a Gucci bag. 
However, China just faked an entire European village - and that’s a big one. :p</p>
<p>[Xeroxed</a> Village: Chinese Secretly Copy Austrian UNESCO Town - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International](<a href=“http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,768754,00.html]Xeroxed”>Xeroxed Village: Chinese Secretly Copy Austrian UNESCO Town - DER SPIEGEL)</p>
<p>If you mention democracy and criticize the current government, your email accounts are hacked, they find you, and you are put in jail as quickly as possible. If you steal American technology or intellectual property, it’s no big deal. The Chinese government has more important things to worry about than its citizens stealing from Americans. China is a horrible country and that is why I don’t buy anything made in China.</p>
<p>It is the US media that is raising the bar. My understanding of the whole story, is that someone saw a store looks like an Apple store. To strengthen their point, the author used two photoes taken from the Apple store in Beijing. In other words, these two photoes are from an actual APPLE store in Beijing. </p>
<p>As to RS per #3. Do you read Chinese and visited any web sites inside China? I do and and I have. The degree of openness nowaday frankly shocks me. there are several “forbidden” subjects. Other than those, one could openly criticize ZF w/o any problem.</p>
<p>I guess we have all benefited from the inventions such as printing, gunpowder, compass and paper.
[Four</a> Inventions of Ancient China: Paper Making, Gunpowder, Printing, Compass](<a href=“http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/focus/inventions.htm]Four”>http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/focus/inventions.htm)</p>
<p>Talking about copying stuff, we have been doing it to each other for a long time. Now that we are talking about IP protection. Back in 1800’s, it was the British who were blaming Americans for “stealing” technologies…</p>
<p>This article is illustrated with photos from Kunming City, China where Apple does not have any official stores.</p>
<p>[BBC</a> News - Fake Apple stores found in Kunming city, China](<a href=“http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-14236786]BBC”>Fake Apple stores found in Kunming city, China - BBC News)</p>
<p>But the question I need answered is : when the shuttle astronauts landed today- were they greeted by personnel in ape masks?</p>
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Actually, yes. One of my hobbies is to follow the unending supply of fraudulent Chinese companies and short their stocks. Point me to the open forum discussions on Tiananmen Square. I can still remember when CCTV censored Obama’s inaugural speech. Pretty funny.</p>
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<p>Where is this whole story? Can you point us to a reputable source? </p>
<p>I rather expect the average Chinese citizen, ignorant because of their censored media, to furiously defend any criticism of their country. I also expect the thousands of Chinese govt peons to fill the internet with rebuttals to anything criticizing China (you see this all the time). But it strikes me as puzzling (if not a bit scary) when you see well-educated Americans still doing the same thing just because they were born there. Nothing worse than blind patriotism and it seems some countries are far worse than others.</p>
<p>More info in a link to the wire story.</p>
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[AP</a> News: iFraud: Entire Apple stores being faked in China](<a href=“http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_16026/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=vPSWG8kE]AP”>http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_16026/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=vPSWG8kE)</p>
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<p>Oops. I thought this was a story about the 2012 Summer Olympics, and that China had decided to raised the bar on the (real) minimum age for its gymnasts from 10 to 12. </p>
<p>But, of course, by now, He Kexin, Jiang Yuyuan, Deng Linlin, Yang Yilin could very well meet the requirements without creative calendars. :)</p>
<p>As far as the fake Apple store, this brings a new dimension to the Genius Bar!</p>
<p>““If you mention democracy and criticize the current government, your email accounts are hacked, they find you, and you are put in jail as quickly as possible.””</p>
<p>China simply doesn’t have that many prisons to accommodate everybody. 
Only those activists with a sizeable following are monitored and even fewer of them are arrested. Of course, these incidents have made the news and gained exposure in particular to the West. But for most of the other Joe Six Packs, the unwanted messages are deleted from time to time, without further consequences. What we may consider as Freedom of Expression in certain subjects, the Chinese government may consider as gathering support for subversion. This isn’t just a matter of authoritarian rule, but also a historical perspective from incidents such as the uprise of the Red Guards, during the Cultural Revolution.</p>
<p>““If you steal American technology or intellectual property, it’s no big deal. The Chinese government has more important things to worry about than its citizens stealing from Americans.””</p>
<p>As a developing nation in the 19th century, the US was accused of “stealing” technology from the Europeans too. The Chinese government has already “arrested more than 9,000 suspects in a nine-month anti-piracy campaign as it shut down more than 12,000 factories that produced counterfeit goods.” This may not yet be enough, but they aren’t standing still either. On the other hand, the US government unleashing QE 1, 2, and the coming QE 3, is indeed “stealing” from the American people and the rest of the world.</p>
<p>““China is a horrible country and that is why I don’t buy anything made in China.””</p>
<p>You are entitled to your opinion, but please don’t forget that even some of the air you breathe, may have recycled from China about 10 days ago. This is a small, small world and we may as well learn to live with each other.</p>
<p>““One of my hobbies is to follow the unending supply of fraudulent Chinese companies and short their stocks.””</p>
<p>How about the “fraudulent” US stock exchanges, which are responsible of listing some of these under-qualified Chinese companies over here? The stock exchanges are US entities, then they must be immuned? :-)</p>
<p>““Point me to the open forum discussions on Tiananmen Square.””</p>
<p>The Tiananmen Massacre is banned on many Chinese forums, because some of the perpetrators are still alive and in power. We can expect an official re-examination of the incident by the next decade, after they are dead or removed from power. On the other hand, the US Congress enacted the Military Commissions Act in 2006 (amended in 2009), denying the rights of due process for suspects and granting retroactive immunity to US government officials for war crimes. But we don’t expect any repeal of this law in the foreseeable future. So please point me to some top government officials, Chinese or American, who don’t cover up their asses to the extent of their authority.</p>
<p>“” I can still remember when CCTV censored Obama’s inaugural speech. Pretty funny.“”</p>
<p>Do you still remember Obama supported the Detainee Photographic Records Protection Act in 2009, an attempt to bypass the Freedom of Information Act and censor the detainee photos at Abu Graib, which Maj Gen Taguba described as, “These pictures show torture, abuse, rape and every indecency…"? Now, this is censorship ----- by law. And fortunately, the Act didn’t go further then passing in the Senate. But unfortunately, censorship would be enacted in the military instead.</p>
<p>Apparently, it is just pot vs. kettle. :-)</p>
<p>““I rather expect the average Chinese citizen, ignorant because of their censored media, to furiously defend any criticism of their country.””</p>
<p>You may be surprised that many Chinese who subscribe to proxy servers overseas, can bypass the government firewall and access media from Hong Kong and beyond. Quite often it is their Western counterparts, who are too presumptuous to realize the actual constraints and learn the historical perspectives, so that they can adjust their views within context.</p>
<p>““I also expect the thousands of Chinese govt peons to fill the internet with rebuttals to anything criticizing China (you see this all the time).””</p>
<p>Maybe for certain forums, but filling the Internet? The Chinese government has better use of their sovereign wealth fund. :-)</p>
<p>““Oops. I thought this was a story about the 2012 Summer Olympics,…””</p>
<p>Actually I thought it maybe about raising banking reserves or limiting foreign investments on Chinese real estates. He Kexin et al will be too “old” for the 2012 Olympics. :-)</p>
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No kidding!
[Chinese</a> Air Pollution Deadliest in World, Report Says](<a href=“National Geographic”>National Geographic)
But on the topic of the thread, China is the biggest source of pirated/counterfeited goods in the world, including drugs, luxury goods, DVDs, electronics, auto parts, and lots more. Whether they really mean to crack down on it will be interesting to see.</p>
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<p>I respectfully disagree. Comparisons of the pre-PCT “Wild West” world with the present times are meaningless, and the number of arrests touted by the Chinese government, even if it is true, is simply laughable for a country that has a population of over a billion and manufactures a lion’s share of the world’s counterfeit goods.</p>
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<p>Once too young, then too old. Isn’t that what everyone goes through in life. Then, not everybody does have an entire government not only condone but organize massive cheating through documentation fraud and pressure on “impartial” judges. </p>
<p>I hope it was all worth it for the innocent and naive athletes who have been exploited since they can walk. Perhaps one of the cheats will become and deal with her own set of birthers. :)</p>
<p>Once too young, then too old. Isn’t that what everyone goes through in life.</p>
<p>So true!</p>
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<p>Sure, and what percentage? Every year I meet very well educated and well read Chinese students, coming over for their PhD, and none of them know squat about so many things the rest of us know about because of their lack of access. </p>
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<p>How about we talk about Foxconn now?</p>
<p>Don’t be coy, kxc. I’m currently in Europe and the fake Apple store story is in the news here. It’s appalling and nothing to brag about, and trying to defend it – it’s indefensible. No wonder smart Chinese kids want to come here. I don’t see a big demand among Western kids for Chinese colleges.</p>