Apple Inc, widely known for its aggressive protection over its iPads and iPhones from copycats, is now extending its protection over the interior layout of its stores.
The request for trademarks on the layout and design of its retail outlets has been granted by the US Patent and Trademark Office.
The description of Apple’s trademarks include ‘a clear glass store front surrounded by a panelled facade’ and an ‘oblong table with stools.. set below video screens flush mounted on the back wall’ within the store.
A fake Apple store was set up in Kunming, China last year, featuring the white Apple logo and almost identical features inside the store.
Chinese authorities quickly ordered the store to be shut, along with more than 20 others selling Apple products but had no authority to do so.
[via Business Times]