A recent U.S.
Customs and Border Protection operation at the express consignment hubs of DHL at the CVG airport and UPS in Louisville has netted more than $3.4 million
in counterfeit items, including counterfeit 2013 NFL Super Bowl team jerseys.
"CBP officers at the DHL and
UPS express consignment facilities have seized more than 60,000 counterfeit
items over the past nine days during this intellectual property enforcement
operation," said William A. Ferrara, CBP Acting Director of Field
Operations in Chicago.
CBP officials say during the weeks and days leading up to major sporting events,
an array of products with the trademark and names of the popular teams are
manufactured and made available to fans even though the companies are not
licensed to produce these trademarked items.
CBP works closely with the
trademark holders and the private sector to distinguish authentic jerseys, hats
and other items from the fakes. China remains the primary
source of counterfeit and pirated goods coming into the United States
representing 72 percent of all IPR seizures.
National CBP figures show the manufacturer's suggested
retail price of seized counterfeit goods had increased from $1.11 billion in FY
2011 to $1.26 billion in FY 2012.
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