US authorities seize fake merchandise during MLB World Series
More than 3,000 items of counterfeit Major League Baseball (MLB) apparel and merchandise were seized during and after the MLB 2018 World Series, as part of a multi-partner enforcement operation.
The 2018 World Series took place between October 23 and 28, with the Boston Red Sox defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games.
Yesterday, November 7, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced the results of the Boston segment of this year’s “Operation: Ground Rules”, an anti-counterfeiting operation.
ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Boston and the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center coordinated the operation.
It was supported and participated in by HSI special agents, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers, City of Boston code enforcement personnel and MLB trademark enforcement representatives.
HSI agents seized the counterfeit goods being offered for sale by vendors in and around Fenway Park (where two of the three games took place), throughout the Boston area, and along the post-series victory parade route in Boston.
Merchandise included baseball hats, knit caps, t-shirts, and sweatshirts. If the goods had been genuine, they would have retailed for more than $87,000.
Peter Fitzhugh, HSI Boston special agent in charge, said: “HSI views all violations of trademark business practices as a serious financial criminal violation. But exploiting the famously-loyal baseball fans of ‘Red Sox Nation’ at a time when their team pride is rightfully at a peak is an even more egregious offence.”
ICE undertakes a number of anti-counterfeiting operations around major sporting events.
Ahead of the National Football League’s 52nd Super Bowl Game, nearly 172,000 counterfeit sports and entertainment-related items, worth an estimated $15.7 million, were seized. Joint investigative efforts by HSI and CBP led to 65 arrests with 24 convictions.
The latest operation began at the conclusion of last year’s Super Bowl. Last year, the operation seized more than 260,000 counterfeit sports goods, worth an estimated $20 million. That’s nearly 90,000 more items than were seized this year.
The International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition estimates that product counterfeiting costs US businesses more than $200 billion a year in lost revenue.
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