CBP Louisville Seizes over $900K in Counterfeit Watches
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Field Operations officers working at the Louisville UPS express consignment facility recently seized a shipment of counterfeit watches with a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price of $933,318. The shipment, imported from China, infringed upon the intellectual property rights of Armani, Cartier, Lacoste, and Breitling corporations.
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On June 23, 2011, the parcel of 1,500 watches addressed to a business in Texas, was intercepted by CBP. Upon examination by CBP officers and CBP import specialists, the watches were determined to be in violation of IPR and as a result the entire shipment was seized. The case is currently under investigation.
(Officers at the Louisville UPS facility have made over 1,100 seizures of infringing merchandise this fiscal year with an estimated MSRP of almost $20 million. These types of fake items consist of watches, cell phones, computer items, integrated circuits, and clothing with Disney, Apple, and Underwriters Laboratory markings.)