Interest
U.S. Customs Seizes Over 86,000 Counterfeit Pokémon Figures
posted on by Kim Morrissy
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported that its officers seized 86,400 Pokémon figures in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania last Wednesday. The shipment, which arrived from Hong Kong and labeled as “plastic furnishing articles,” contained 15 boxes of figures that were appraised to have a value of US$603,936 if they were authentic.
The shipment was seized not only for violating U.S. intellectual property rights but because the small figures represented a choking hazard for young children. Additionally, the CBP reported that counterfeit toys tend to be coated in potentially dangerous levels of lead paint, although no lead testing was conducted on the toys in question. The parcel was destined to an address in Snyder County, Pennsylvania.
CBP officers and Homeland Security Investigation (HSI) agents seized 27,599 shipments of counterfeit goods in the fiscal year 2019. This amounted to a total estimated manufacturer's suggested retail price of over US$1.5 billion. The seized goods were primarily sent from mainland China and Hong Kong, accounting for 83 percent of seizures.
Sources: U.S. Customs and Border Protection, ICV2 (Milton Griepp)
