China raises the bar.

Parent Cafe
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<p>“China is so crazy about Apple products that in one city alone there are at least five “fake” Apple stores. Concerned by the news, China’s authorities have now shuttered two of them for code violations. But with many more official resellers opening across the nation soon, and Apple rumored to be in talks with the world’s biggest cell network, could Chinese consumers actually be Apple’s ticket to trillion-dollar status?.. This could all result in some serious additional income for Apple over the next year. And with emerging evidence the Chinese authorities are clamping down on a national penchant for pirated content, it’s even possible that Apple’s iTunes system will add incrementally to this too. If so, the revenues from China over the next 12 months or so could actually push Apple’s share price further upward, toward the mythical trillion-dollar status.”</p>

<p>[China</a> Could Boost Apple To Trillion-Dollar Worth | Fast Company](<a href=“China Could Boost Apple To Trillion-Dollar Worth”>China Could Boost Apple To Trillion-Dollar Worth)</p>

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<p>It looks like after the discovery of fake Apple stores it hit the fan… Now IKEA lawyered up to bring down a fake IKEA store:</p>

<p>[Ikea</a> to probe ‘fake’ store in China - Yahoo! News](<a href=“http://news.yahoo.com/ikea-probe-fake-store-china-160247027.html;_ylt=AkBqGlV4RD0JQJSgBrVrER5faP0E;_ylu=X3oDMTExdjJjamdiBHBvcwMxBHNlYwNNZWRpYVNlYXJjaFJlc3VsdHNJYlhIUg--;_ylv=3]Ikea”>http://news.yahoo.com/ikea-probe-fake-store-china-160247027.html;_ylt=AkBqGlV4RD0JQJSgBrVrER5faP0E;_ylu=X3oDMTExdjJjamdiBHBvcwMxBHNlYwNNZWRpYVNlYXJjaFJlc3VsdHNJYlhIUg--;_ylv=3)</p>

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<p>According to Swedish media, the 1,000-square-metre (10,700-square-foot) store is nearly identical to Ikea’s outlets down to its cafeteria, which however served Chinese food instead of the Swedish staples traditionally served at Ikea.</p>

<p>Heresy!</p>

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<p>I recently read Foxconn (Apple’s sweat shop in China) is switching to robots, following the brouhaha over the recent suicides.</p>

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<p>More…</p>

<p>"China’s government has acknowledged problems with piracy, and has taken measures to address it that some foreign executives and experts say are starting to make headway. After the fake Apple Store was highlighted last month, Kunming officials initiated a sweeping inspection of electronic stores in the city. It’s unclear whether they have taken any action against the Apple store, whose staffers now refuse to answer queries over the phone.</p>

<p>The fake stores present new complications for global companies that have long struggled to protect their brands in China. Some executives say that fake stores can help build brand awareness. And in cases of unauthorized resellers like the Apple store in Kunming, the foreign company is still benefiting from sales of its own products.</p>

<p>Alexander Moody-Stuart, managing director at sandwich chain Subway, said the number of imitators that come to franchising fairs in China increases every year. He said there are Subway copiers that use similar logos, offer sandwiches in six-inch and 12-inch formats as Subway does (China generally uses the metric system), and even accept coupons from Subway when consumers confuse the two stores.</p>

<p>For Subway, which is trying to build awareness to a type of food that isn’t always eaten in China, “the mimicking isn’t exactly a bad thing,” Mr. Moody-Stuart said…</p>

<p>Just like IKEA does, 11 Furniture uses blue signs and yellow arrows on the floor to direct consumers through mock living rooms, where sofas sit opposite flat screen TVs and tables that look like they should have names like Folkvik and Liatorp (instead of Shuwei Kela Chaji). </p>

<p>A spokeswoman in China for IKEA, which has nine stores in China and plans to open 12 more, said of 11 Furniture that “IKEA is not aware of copyright infringement.”</p>

<p>Not everything is knockoff in imitation outlets. At Dairy Fairy, a national franchise chain that opened in 2008, ice cream, including the Blizzard-like “Ice Storm,” is served upside-down, just like at Dairy Queen, which has 360 stores in China. Cups are marked with “DF” in red and blue, resembling the colors Dairy Queen uses and its “DQ” nickname. Dairy Fairy employees are donned in blue uniforms with red aprons—nearly a mirror image of Dairy Queen employees. But at a Dairy Fairy in Beijing on Tuesday, the menu also included items that one wouldn’t find at a DQ, such as spicy-pepper-flavored ice cream."</p>

<p>[Made</a> in China: Fake Stores - WSJ.com](<a href=“Made in China: Fake Stores - WSJ”>Made in China: Fake Stores - WSJ)</p>

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<p>Well, they say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery…</p>

<p>[Ukranian</a> Defense Chief seemingly plagiarizes Steve Jobs’ graduation speech | TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog](<a href=“http://www.tuaw.com/2011/08/03/ukranian-defense-chief-seemingly-plagiarizes-steve-jobs-graduat/]Ukranian”>http://www.tuaw.com/2011/08/03/ukranian-defense-chief-seemingly-plagiarizes-steve-jobs-graduat/)</p>

<p>*Some executives say that fake stores can help build brand awareness. *</p>

<p>I bet they also say “The cat * likes * to have his tail pulled”.</p>

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<p>The mod has already deleted some of those cat-and-mouse gibberish. You are only risking to have this thread locked down. :-)</p>

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<p>[In</a> China, toddler left for dead sparks heated debate about society’s moral health - CSMonitor.com](<a href=“http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-Pacific/2011/1019/In-China-toddler-left-for-dead-sparks-heated-debate-about-society-s-moral-health]In”>http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-Pacific/2011/1019/In-China-toddler-left-for-dead-sparks-heated-debate-about-society-s-moral-health)</p>

<p>Money isn’t everything-</p>

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<p>I do believe good samaritan laws are in place in US at the state level.</p>

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<p>““I do believe good samaritan laws are in place in US at the state level.””</p>

<p>The dispassionate passer-bys be damned. But how much would merely laws have helped here?</p>

<p>“The town of Turlock and much of the rest of the nation was shocked when a 27-year-old man beat and stomped his 2-year-old son to death on a rural road. But what was nearly as stunning for many people was that none of the motorists and their passengers who stopped and saw the attack tried to tackle the man.”, [Inaction</a> in boy’s killing called justified - SFGate](<a href=“http://articles.sfgate.com/2008-06-18/bay-area/17163997_1_beating-rural-road-son]Inaction”>http://articles.sfgate.com/2008-06-18/bay-area/17163997_1_beating-rural-road-son) .</p>

<p>“A heroic homeless man, stabbed after saving a Queens woman from a knife-wielding attacker, lay dying in a pool of blood for more than an hour as nearly 25 people indifferently strolled past him, a shocking surveillance video obtained by The Post reveals.”, [A</a> homeless man dies and nearly 25 people in Queens keep walking by - NYPOST.com](<a href=“Stabbed hero dies as more than 20 people stroll past him”>Stabbed hero dies as more than 20 people stroll past him) .</p>

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<p>Oh shoot, I thought there would be an update about the Chinese copying Halloween.</p>

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<p>Or Americans singing Chinese pops. :-)</p>

<p>[Metro</a> - Under a Vast Sky - YouTube](<a href=“- YouTube”>- YouTube)</p>

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<p>Good one xiggi! LOL</p>

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<p>RS, do you have something to say yourself, rather than repeatedly echoing others here? You have a lot more to opine elsewhere. :-)</p>

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<p>I don’t think much of you Stillgreen so maybe it is better to let others do the talking and affirm their comments. I might tell too much truth.</p>

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<p>Please don’t worry, I am just a JSP nobody. :slight_smile: But you seemed to echo several posters who have corresponded with me here, as if they sorely needed your support. So I thought you might have at least something material to say. Oh well, enjoy your Justin Bieber tabloids… :-)</p>

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<p>@rs: looool. </p>

<p>I think we all agree that piracy and counterfeiting (particularly of non-vanity goods) is a bad thing. However, I think rs is mostly alone in claiming that China is a “horrible country”.</p>

<p>Related note: <a href=“The Verge”>http://www.theverge.com/2011/11/1/2529959/chinese-cyber-attack-steals-industrial-secrets&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>First, I love Team Fortress 2. Second, this is the kind of thing we need to focus on cracking down on (plus anti-virus software).</p>

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<p>Wow, Stillgreen, we finally agree on something about you.</p>

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<p>[url=&lt;a href=“Wonder Girls "NOBODY (Eng. Ver)" M/V - YouTube”[/url</a>] . :-)</p>

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<p>Nice song and video. </p>

<p>Maybe Bieber will steal it and claim it as his own. He will need some extra cash for child support.</p>

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<p>You mean stealing the babes and making his own babies? :slight_smile: Sure, Bieber will need even more child support…</p>