U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Baltimore seized seized a Los Angelos-bound shipment of 13,660 pairs of canvas-topped sneakers last Friday.
CBP officials say if authentic, the sneakers would have valued at $314,000.
On June 23, officers with the CBP inspected the shipment, manifested as shoes, after it arrived from China.
Once suspicions rose about the shoes, the shipment was detained.
Photos and documentation were later submitted to the CBP Office of Trade’s Intellectual Property Enforcement Branch (IPE) for an infringement determination.
The IPE confirmed that the shipment violated Converse's trademark on June 27.
Officers inventoried the entire contents of the shipment and on July 18 submitted an inventory list and pictures for appraisal to CBP's trade experts a the Apparel, Footwear, and Textile.
CBP officers seized the counterfeit Converse sneakers. No criminal charges were filed.
“Unscrupulous manufacturers and vendors illegally profit on the sale of substandard counterfeit products, such as these fake Chucks, at the expense and safety of American consumers,” said Adam Rottman, CBP’s Area Port Director for the Area Port of Baltimore. “Customs and Border Protection urges consumers to protect their health and wallets by buying authentic consumer goods from reputable or authorized vendors.”
