8,000 Counterfeit MLB, NFL and NCAA Jackets Seized by Customs

NOGALES, AZ - When fans buy merchandise from their favorite sports teams, they might not know what Customs and Border Protection has to do with ensuring their purchases are legitimate, but a good example occurred last week in Nogales, Arizona when Customs and Border Protection seized almost $600,000 worth of counterfeit MLB, NFL, and NCAA jackets. Early last week, CBP officers and employees noticed discrepancies with a shipment of jackets being transshipped through the US to Mexico from Korea. When they took a closer look at the jackets and labels, they became suspicious of the way the jackets were made, the markings, and the tags attached. Further inspection revealed deceptive markings and when CBP contacted the Coalition to Advance the Protection of Sports Logos (CAPS), their suspicions were confirmed with they found that the jackets were not authorized and the manufacturer was using counterfeit markings and labels. Twenty-two CBP officers and employees spent four hours counting almost 8,000 jackets that looked like merchandise representing the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Dallas Cowboys, North Carolina Tarheels, Michigan Wolverines, Georgia Bulldogs, and Duke Blue Devils. Not only is Customs and Border Protection here to stop terrorists, but one of our responsibilities is to help protect legitimate patent, trademark, and property rights holders, said Port Director James Tong, If Customs and Border Protection didnt catch this, these items might have made their way into stores in the US, which would hurt not only the licensees and business owners, but the consumer who thinks they are getting the genuine article. www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/import/commercial_enforcement/ipr/seizure/seizure_stats.xml The Coalition to Advance the Protection of Sports Logos (www.capsinfo.com) was formed to help enforce trademark protection for the NCAA, Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association, National Football League, and National Hockey League. While anti-terrorism is the primary mission of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the inspection process at the ports of entry associated with this mission results in impressive numbers of enforcement actions in all categories.