C.B.P. News Release

Los Angeles CBP Seizes 10,900 Pairs of Fake Nike Shoes

(Wednesday, June 24, 2009)

Los Angeles — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials at Los Angeles/Long Beach seaport recently seized 10,900 pairs of counterfeit Nike shoes. CBP officers confiscated the fake Nike athletic shoes along with 16 pairs of used sneakers, which were co-mingled with the fakes apparently to disquise the crime.

The appraised domestic value of the shipment was $381,740. Had the shoes been legitimate the value would have been $1.8 million. Nike officials advised CBP that they had not authorized the importer or exporter to use their trademark.

In this incident the shipping container that arrived from China was selected for CBP examination on May 21. The contents were declared as shoes but had no indication of the type of shoes. Following intensive inspection of the shipment CBP officers discovered the counterfeits and seized the goods for federal violation of merchandise bearing a counterfeit trademark.

During fiscal year 2008, CBP and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement seized more than $272.7 million worth of counterfeit items nationwide. Footwear was the top commodity seized, accounting for $103.3 million or 38 percent of the total value of intellectual property rights seizures.

CBP is charged with enforcing trade laws and has devoted substantial resources to target, intercept, detain, seize and forfeit shipments of goods that violate these laws.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

Contacts For This News Release
Cristina Gamez
CBP Public Affairs
Phone: (562) 980-3200 Ext: 127

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