22 More Fake Apple Stores Found in China

Chinese authorities have discovered 22 more fake Apple Stores in the city of Kunming.

Last month, Macworld reported that five fake stores had been discovered in the capital of the Yunnan province, two of which had been ordered to close, after a blogger exposed a fake Apple Store she had been into in Kunming.

Now, Reuters reports that China's Administration for Industry and Commerce has ordered that the 22 fake stores stop using Apple's logo after Apple China accused them of unfair competition and violating its registered trademark.

It is still unclear if the products on sale in the stores have been acquired through the grey market or are unauthorized copies but plenty of examples of both real but unlicensed and fake Apple products have been seen in the country before.

Earlier this week, Macworld reported that an iPhone 5 rip-off -- the HiPhone 5 -- had been spotted for sale on Chinese websites. The units were reportedly based on leaked photographs of the iPhone 5.

iPhone 5 mockups based on leaked specifications appear

This story, "22 More Fake Apple Stores Found in China" was originally published by Macworld U.K..