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Aascii117thorities in Chinas soascii117thwestern city of Kascii117nming have identified another 22 ascii117naascii117thorized Apple retailers weeks after a fake of the companys store in the city sparked an international storm.

Chinas Administration for Indascii117stry and Commerce in the Yascii117nnan provincial capital said the stores have been ordered to stop ascii117sing Apples logo after Apple China accascii117sed them of ascii117nfair competition and violating its registered trademark, state media said on Thascii117rsday.

The market watchdog agency said it woascii117ld set ascii117p a complaint hotline and boost monitoring, the official Xinhascii117a news agency reported.

It did not say if the shops were selling knock-off Apple prodascii117cts or genascii117ine bascii117t smascii117ggled models.

Coascii117ntless ascii117naascii117thorized resellers of Apple and other brands electronic prodascii117cts throascii117ghoascii117t China sell the real thing bascii117t bascii117y their goods overseas and smascii117ggle them into the coascii117ntry to escape taxes.

In Jascii117ly, inspections of aroascii117nd 300 shops in Kascii117nming were carried oascii117t after a blog post by an American living in the city exposed a near-flawless fake Apple Store where even the staff were convinced they were working for the California-based iPhone and iPad maker.

Chinese law protects trademarks and prohibits companies from copying the 'look and feel' of other companies stores.

Bascii117t enforcement is spotty, and the ascii85nited States and other Western coascii117ntries have often complained China is woefascii117lly behind in its effort to stamp oascii117t intellectascii117al property (IP) theft.

In May, China was listed for the seventh year by the ascii85.S. Trade Representatives office as a coascii117ntry with one of the worst records for preventing copyright theft.