US customs seizes counterfeit Cartier jewellery
US Customs and Border Protection has seized 48 counterfeit Cartier Love Bracelets shipped from Hong Kong.
The CBP announced on Monday, July 30 that it had seized the designer bracelets from the port of Philadelphia earlier in the month.
Cartier has been offering its range of Love Bracelets since 1969, and the line now includes cufflinks, rings, earrings and necklaces.
After inspecting the shipment for possible counterfeit items, CBP officers found 31 Cartier rose and yellow gold bracelets and 17 Cartier white gold bracelets, all encrusted in diamonds. The items were detained for further evaluation due to their poor packaging and the low quality of the jewellery.
Upon further investigation, it was found that a previous shipment of counterfeit Cartier bracelets from the consignee had also been seized.
If they were authentic, the bracelets would have had an estimated collective retail price of more than $2 million.
“For these CBP officers, keeping their ‘eyes on the prize’ didn’t mean finding real gold, but instead finding fool’s gold,” said Joseph Martella, CBP port director for the port of Philadelphia.
According to the agency, importing counterfeit goods can cause significant revenue loss for brands, damage the US economy, and threaten the health and safety of US citizens.
“American consumers and American businesses are the victims when these illicit counterfeit goods are bought or sold here in the US,” added Casey Durst, CBP director of field operations in Baltimore, Maryland.
Last month, WIPR reported that the CBP had seized 108 counterfeit Super Bowl rings, also shipped from Hong Kong. According to the CBP, an authorised replica ring could be sold for $10,000.
The number of products seized by the CBP that infringe IP rights increased from 31,560 in 2016 to 34,143 in 2017, representing an 8% rise in seized goods.
Last year, the CBP launched a campaign called Fake Goods, Real Dangers, designed to communicate the risks of purchasing counterfeit goods.
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