U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers assigned to the Los Angeles/Long Beach, CA seaport seized 16,620 counterfeit Apple’s AirPod wireless earphones and charging cables that violated protected trademarks.
The seized items included 2,400 pairs of counterfeit Apple wireless earphones and 14,220 counterfeit Apple charging cables. If genuine, the seized merchandise would have had an estimated manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $651,780.
Import specialists confirmed that the goods were in violation of Apple’s AirPod and Lightning registered trademarks. Officers discovered the counterfeit products while conducting an enforcement exam on two shipments containing a total of 185 boxes that arrived from China on July 2 and July 15, 2020.
“Counterfeit products have a negative impact on the U.S. economy, as each time a consumer buys a counterfeit good, a legitimate company loses revenue. This translates to lost profits and U.S. jobs over time.”
said Carlos C. Martel, CBP Director of Field Operations in Los Angeles.
Available on illegitimate websites and sold in underground outlets, counterfeit commodities multiply the illegal profits of smugglers and traffickers. Consumers are tricked into believing they are buying an original product at a significant discount.
