Apple proposes settlement with Queens-area knockoff stores

Reuters reports that two Apple-knockoff stores located in the Queens borough of New York City have been offered a settlement agreement, currently under judicial review. Apple's proposed settlement mandates that the stores hand over all products bearing Apple's trademarks and branding; one store called Apple Story has also agreed to change its name to something a bit less infringing.

This brings a swift end to a saga that only started a couple months ago. Counterfeited items bearing Apple's trademarks were seized from both stores in July, which followed Apple's initial filing of the suit only two days earlier. According to court filings, Apple hired private investigators to buy many items from both stores earlier this year in order to amass evidence for the case.

Apple has found itself a popular target for counterfeiters recently, with fake Apple Stores popping up in China around the same time as the suit against the Queens-area counterfeiters began.