Border patrol agents pulled a Malcolm Butler at the goal line when they intercepted fake Patriots’ Super Bowl rings, which looked like they were from the team’s fourth title over the Seahawks.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced that its officers have seized Super Bowl, World Series, and NBA championship rings for bearing counterfeit trademarks.
The border patrol officers at the Rochester Port of Entry recently found several mini championship trophies and rings bearing NFL, NBA, and MLB trademarks during a shipment inspection.
The Super Bowl rings featured logos from the Pats, San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders, New York Giants, and Washington Redskins (now Commanders).
The World Series rings had logos from the New York Yankees, and the NBA championship rings featured logos from the Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls. There was also NCAA basketball championship rings allegedly from Syracuse University.
After officers examined the merchandise, they determined that the items were not authentic and were seized for bearing counterfeit trademarks.
Had these items been genuine, the total Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) value would be about $9,000.
“Our officers continue to play a critical role in protecting the consumer from counterfeit items,” Rochester Port Director Ronald Menz said in a statement. “Counterfeiters scam consumers into buying low quality replicas online. Our officers diligently work to protect the American consumer by intercepting this illegitimate merchandise.”
CBP has the authority to detain, seize, forfeit, and ultimately destroy imported merchandise if it bears an infringing trademark or copyright that has been registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office or the U.S. Copyright Office, and has been recorded with CBP through the e-Recordation program.
Other violations can include misclassification of merchandise, false country-of-origin markings, health and safety issues, and valuation issues.
It’s also against the law to import counterfeit or pirated merchandise, and individual consumers may be liable for a fine even if they did not intend to import counterfeit or pirated merchandise.
