26th July 2006 - IN MOST parts of Asia you can pick up copy watches and look-alike designer luggage, so why not fake phones? China has been doing a roaring trade turning out working duplicates of popular models from the major companies.

Nokia, however, finds it less than amusing. In keeping with similar actions by Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Chanel, the Finnish mobile phone company has started legal action against two Chinese manufacturers and several distributors who have been selling look-alikes of Nokia's 7260 handset.

Nokia is keen to shore up its share of what is considered the world's fastest-growing market for mobiles.

One of the companies in Nokia's sights is Telsda, which also specialises in mimicking best-selling models from Samsung and Motorola - albeit under its own brand and with minor cosmetic changes.

Another Chinese mobile maker, mCool, churns out handsets that mimic just about every make and model but with cheeky names such as Nokua and Sany-Ericcson. As well as being much cheaper, some models have more features than the "real deal".