According to recent cables attained by WikiLeaks, in 2008 Apple hired former FBI agent and Pfizer employee John Theriault, to put a stop to counterfeiting of Apple products in China. According to the documents, Theriault briefed then Apple CEO Steve Jobs about strategy to curtail the Apple knockoff manufacturers. Theriault who is now Apple’s global security chief hired Don Shruhan, who also was previously employed by Pfizer, to head up efforts in China to crack down on the imitation products.
The leaked report states:
Shruhan told the Beijing embassy official that his group at Pfizer spent five years planning raids on counterfeit drug rings, the cable says. He said he’s “afraid” of the volume of imitation Apple products being produced in China and about the inexperience of Apple’s lawyers in dealing with Chinese authorities, the report says.
As we reported last month, counterfeiting has gone beyond Apple products with fake Apple Retail Stores popping up in China.
[via: AppAdvice]
