US customs clamp down on NFL counterfeits
US customs authorities have seized thousands of fake American football-related goods as part of a year-long collaboration with the National Football League (NFL) to tie in with the forthcoming Super Bowl match.
Customs authorities said they seized more than 325,000 counterfeit items, including jerseys, hats and other Super Bowl-related merchandise. Had they been genuine, the products’ recommended retail price would have been around $19.5 million.
The figures were revealed at a news conference held on Thursday (January 29) by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement director, Sarah Saldaña, US Customs and Border Protection director of field operations, William Brooks, and Dolores DiBella, counsel for the NFL.
Dubbed ‘Operation Team Player’, the initiative began after last year's Super Bowl event, in February, and focused on international shipments of counterfeit goods entering the US. There have been 52 arrests following the operation, which concludes on February 6 this year.
In a statement, Saldaña said counterfeiting was “not a game”.
“It is most certainly not a victimless crime either. Whether it’s the child in south-east Asia working in deplorable conditions, or local stores going out of business, intellectual property theft is a very real crime with very real victims.
“No good comes from counterfeiting American products, regardless of whether they are all-star jerseys, airbags, or aspirin,” she said.
Last year, as part of a similar operation, US authorities seized 202,000 pieces of counterfeit NFL merchandise, valued at more than $21.6 million.
The Super Bowl, the final game of the NFL season, will be played between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots on Sunday (February 1) in Glendale, Arizona.
There has been a strong focus on clamping down on counterfeits ahead of the showpiece event. Earlier this month, WIPR reported that Justin Negrete, a fireman from Arizona, had been arrested after he was accused of selling counterfeit NFL shirts.
