Another day, another lawsuit. Apple is going after copycat and fake rip-offs of its retail stores, including 50 John Does and unnamed businesses, in a new trademark infringement suit, reports “AppleInsider” (http://www.appleinsider.com). The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of New York remains under a court seal, so the specifics of the complaint are not known.
“AppleInsider” says that one of the defendants in the case is “Apple Story Inc.,” matching the name of a retail outlet that mimics Apple’s own retail operation. “Apple Story” is located in the neighborhood of Flushing in Queens, New York; Apple’s lawsuit was filed in Brooklyn.
The lawsuit follows the recent publicity regarding fake Apple retail stores in China. “Because the lawsuit is sealed, it is unknown whether this particular complaint, filed on July 25, also targets the elaborate overseas operations,” says “AppleInsider.” “It’s possible that Apple does not yet know who runs those stores, and could be included in the 50 anonymous John Does that are named as defendants with no attorney listed.”
