Apple secures patents on China stores
Apple has been granted patents on some of the distinctive elements of its store designs in China as the US company moves to better protect itself against rampant copying of not only its products but also its sales channels on the Chinese mainland.
The three recently granted design patents cover the architecture of Apple's stores in Shanghai and were awarded in May, according to state media reports, suggesting the company registered them after it began its expansion in China last year. One was announced on Wednesday by the state intellectual property office, covering a glass dome such as the one that is a distinctive feature of one of the company's Shanghai stores.
Apple has a patchy record in securing patents and trademarks in this fast-growing but challenging market. The gaps in the company's intellectual property rights protection were highlighted by the revelation in July of a fake Apple store in Kunming, the capital of the south-western Chinese province of Yunnan.
The technology company is preparing to open another Apple store in Shanghai on Friday, joining two others in the city and one in Beijing, and is also poised to open its first store in Hong Kong before the end of the month. On Wednesday, Apple started selling the 3G version of the iPad 2 in China.
No comments:
Post a Comment