Charleston U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Seizes $120K Worth of Counterfeit Toys

CHARLESTON, S.C. –U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Field Operations, at Charleston seaport seized $121,442 worth of counterfeit children’s toys that arrived into the port. The cargo arrived in late June from China and was destined for a North Carolina based importer.

The shipment was found to contain multiple items bearing trademarks and copyrights registered to The Cartoon Network, Apple Inc., Saban Brands, and Danjaq, LLC. Saban Brands holds the copyrights to the Power Rangers brand and Danjaq holds the rights to “James Bond 007” characters and materials.

“Counterfeiting robs lawful rights holders of their unique ideas and the ability to make a profit from them,” said Robert Fencel, CBP Charleston Area Port Director. “It damages legitimate manufacturers, and can harm consumers because manufacturers of counterfeit items have little motivation to use safe, high quality materials in their products. In essence, they’re trying to make a ‘quick buck’ off of another party’s reputation and ideas.”

CBP contacted the lawful rights holders and it was determined that of the 284 cartons of toys in the shipment, 27 cartons containing 34,690 individual items were counterfeit – meaning the manufacturer used images and branding without the permission of the entities that developed and/or hold legal rights to those images.

Stopping the flow of illicit goods is a priority trade issue for CBP. The importation of counterfeit merchandise can damage the U.S. economy and threaten the health and safety of the American people. For more information on CBP’s Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) priority trade issue, visit: CBP Trade and IPR.

With the growth of foreign trade, unscrupulous companies have profited billions of dollars from the sale of counterfeit and pirated goods.

To combat the illicit trade of merchandise violating laws relating to IPR, trademark and copyright holders may register with CBP through an online system. Such registration assists CBP officers and import specialists in identifying merchandise that violates U.S. law.

CBP’s IPR enforcement strategy is multi-layered and includes seizing illegal merchandise at our borders, pushing the border “outward” through audits of suspect importers, cooperating with our international trading partners, and collaborating with industry and governmental agencies to enhance these efforts.

View CBP Snapshot to learn some of what CBP achieves “On a Typical Day.”