WikiLeaks documents show Apple's battle with Chinese piracy

It's been a long time since we heard anything from WikiLeaks. Some recently leaked documents have outlined some of the methods that Apple has taken to stomp out piracy over the years in China. The document is a cable from the Beijing embassy that shows Apple formed a team in March 2008 to fight piracy inside the country. The sheer scale of the piracy has only come to light recently when it was noted that entire Apple Stores were being pirated.

Those faux Apple stores didn't change much once Chinese authorities cracked down, some simply changed names. The cables leaked by WikiLeaks shows that Apple had a plan in place to tackle piracy. First Apple planned to go after street vendors. After that they were going after retailers.

The next step was to be going after the factories where parts meant for Apple products are often stolen to make the Apple imitations. The last step in the plan was to target online retailers. The cables also noted that low-profile clandestine raids were the best approach for Apple.

[via PCMag]