Blockbuster busted (sort of)

We've never been to the knockoff DVD shop called Blockbuster ... and now we'll never get a chance to. The real Blockbuster has seen to it that the place -- which apparently is of the overpriced, 10 kuai per DVD, Kade Club ilk -- lose its name. This is from Access Asia's Weekly View on Asia:

... some entrepreneurial guys in Shanghai did open a DVD store and called it Blockbuster, complete with yellow lettering on a blue background, as per the thousands of Blockbuster outlets globally. It did well (and even offered browsers a free beer while shopping), but Blockbuster’s lawyers weren’t having any of it, and issued a cease and desist order, meaning that Blockbuster, even in a fake guise, is in China no more.

A forum post says that Blockbuster (the Shanghai one) has kept its colors and changed its name to "Hollywood" (another cease and desist coming soon?). "Rattle the door and they will let you in," the poster said. It is supposed to be close to Big Bamboo on Nanyang Lu.

We've also heard that Blockbuster Hollywood is owned, at least partially, by a Westerner, a guy who manages a bar in town. Must have some good guanxi -- we always thought stunts like that would land you in jail.