Knocked out by those cheap sunglasses
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said last week it seized six shipments of counterfeit sunglasses at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach seaport arriving from China.
CBP officials seized 156,900 pairs of sunglasses in violation of Versace, Louis Vuitton, Dolce Gabbana, Lacoste, Coach, Emporio Armani and Bvlgary trademarks.
Customs gave two different estimates of the value of the bogus shades: “total domestic value of $151,564” and a combined manufacturer's suggested retail price of more than $18.6 million.
'Stopping the importation of counterfeit and pirated merchandise continues to be a top priority for CBP,' said Christopher Perry, acting director of field operations, Los Angeles.
The infringing merchandise was discovered on six different shipments from March 13 to April 14.
“Along with the negative impact on legitimate manufacturers and on the U.S. economy, counterfeit sunglasses threaten the health and safety of consumers. Counterfeit sunglasses may not be impact resistant, may cause injury by shattering and may fail to provide UV protection,” CBP said in a press release.
Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal said Sunday that CBP officials were expected to announce Monday seizures of counterfeit goods in April of more than $240 million fake goods including drugs, Rolex watches, Coach handbags, and Nike shoes and DVDs. It said the announcement would be timed to coincide with World Intellectual Property Day.