August 18, 09

NEWS / CBP Intercepts Pirated Spiderman Sandals at Los Angeles/Long Beach Seaport

Los Angeles — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials at the Los Angeles/Long Beach seaport complex intercepted and seized a shipment arriving from China containing 25,056 pairs of counterfeit “Spiderman” children’s clog sandals.

On August 11, CBP officers and import specialists examined the shipment for possible trademark violations and found 552 cartons containing the counterfeit merchandise with a domestic value of $21,206 and a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $751,429.


“The discovery of the counterfeit items confirms the recent advancements of CBP’s strategy in making intellectual property rights enforcement a priority,” said Kevin Weeks, CBP director of Field Operations, Los Angeles.


The counterfeit merchandise was commingled in a shipment that consisted of 56,400 pairs, which were invoiced as generic sandals. CBP officers discovered that 25,056 pairs were in violation of the “Spiderman” trademark.


In fiscal year 2008, CBP at the Los Angeles/Long Beach seaport seized more than $71.4 million worth of counterfeit items. CBP plays a crucial role in enforcing trade laws including the enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights.


Last fiscal year, the combined effort of CBP import specialists and CBP officers resulted in a record breaking year of counterfeit seizures. Preventing the entry of counterfeit items is crucial to protect consumers as well as the economy of the United States.

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/news_releases/08142009_6.xml