SW China city cracks down on unauthorized Apple stores

The market watchdog in the southwestern city of Kunming said Thursday it has identified an additional 22 unauthorized Apple stores after three self-named "Apple Stores" were exposed via the Internet in July.

The Administration for Industry and Commerce in the provincial capital of Yunnan Province said in a statement that the 22 stores have been ordered to stop using Apple's logo after Apple China accused them of violation of the exclusive use of registered trademark as well as unfair competition.

The agency said it would open a complaint hotline and step up monitoring over market competition to prevent similar cases from occurring.

The initial three fake "Apple Stores" were discovered by a blogger known as "BirdAbroad," who posted photos and challenged the stores' legitimate status and rights to use Apple's logo.