CBP in Savannah Seizes Counterfeit Disks

April 22, 2010 - Savannah, Ga. - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Port of Savannah intercepted and seized 10,800 counterfeit blank DVDs, Area Port Director John Porter announced today. The shipment had a domestic value of $159,948, and a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $874,800.

The counterfeit DVDs were discovered in a container that had been designated for examination. CBP officers found 1,800 cartons which contained blank DVD-R recordable disks. All the items were marked with the trademarked “DVD” logos and found concealed in the shipping container. After determining the items violated trademark laws, the shipment was seized on April 14.

The previous day officers seized 8,640 hair combs. The comb handles were fashioned with the “Superman” logo in violation of trademark laws. The shipment had domestic value of $4,003, and a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $34,876.

CBP protects businesses and consumers every day through an aggressive IPR (Intellectual Property Rights) enforcement program,” said Porter. “Our officers and import specialists play a vital role in this effort.”

To address the ongoing threat to domestic industries and the need to identify and interdict counterfeited goods, CBP works closely with private industry, U.S. government agencies and foreign governments to stem the flow of illegal goods to protect consumers and the economy. For more information on intellectual property rights dealing with trademarks, please visit the CBP Web site.