U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) San Juan Field Operations announced Thursday the seizure of 560 sets of fake Apple AirPods imported into Puerto Rico from Hong Kong via air courier. Had these goods been genuine, the estimated manufacturer suggested retail price (MSRP) of the seized goods would have been an approximately $111,440.
“This product is sought by consumers because of its convenience to operate a phone or computer,” indicated Leida Colon, Assistant Director of Field Operations for Trade. “Unfortunately, counterfeits like this do not withstand the use that consumers expect.”
Most of the seizures of counterfeit products in the San Juan Field Office are jewelry, footwear, clothing, and prescription drugs. The main source countries for most of these items are Hong Kong and China.
Recently, the San Juan Field Office also seized jewelry and watches, and 844 counterfeit alloy wheels.
The sale of counterfeit goods robs legitimate businesses of revenue, takes jobs from American workers, and poses health and safety threats to U.S. consumers. The proceeds from counterfeit merchandise sales often supports other nefarious and illicit businesses. Therefore, CBP has an aggressive Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) enforcement program, through which CBP targets and seizes imports of counterfeit and pirated goods, and enforces exclusion orders on patent-infringing and other IPR goods. Despite these efforts, the internet has made it easy to find, purchase, and ship low quality items from almost anywhere in the world. With a high demand for well-known brands, many online vendors sell counterfeit products online, infringing on various trademark holder’s rights and revenues.
