Chinese pirates beware: Apple has more patents and it knows how to use them. China granted the tech giant 40 patents covering the iPad, iPhone and even its retail stores. Long bedeviled by faux iPhones and retail location ripoffs, the Cupertino, Calif. company now has legal protection for its popular products.



The patents could have a number of uses. Chinese version of the iPhone 5 began appearing although the next-generation handset has not been officially released. The patents covering 37 products could also help Apple protect the iPad 2 3G, which began selling in the Asian nation Wednesday. Also, the new intellectual property protections could prevent a reoccurrence of fake Apple Stores appearing. The patents cover Apple store architecture, according to Reuters.

Finally, the China patents are bound to bolster Apple’s courtroom battles against rivals. Along with South Korea’s Samsung, the iPhone maker is being sued by Android handset designer HTC at the International Trade Commission and in a Delaware federal court. Wednesday, Jack Tong, president of HTC’s North Asia operations, expressed confidence the courts will decide in his company’s favor. “We have no question that HTC will definitely win,” Tong told reporters.

Not coincidentally, the patents HTC claims Apple infringed come from Google and were part of the stash the Android promoter acquired when it bought Motorola. Which gets us back to the important role both patents and China will play in Apple’s future and the continuing struggle to control the mobile market.