PHILADELPHIA – The unofficial start to summer arrives in about two weeks, and as is customary, people are feverishly working on sculpting and toning their summer physique. Unfortunately, disreputable organizations know this too, and they prey on that motivation to sell under priced and potentially dangerous counterfeit exercise equipment and technology.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Philadelphia recently seized 36 boxes of counterfeit BeachBody Focus T25 DVDs, and 12 boxes of counterfeit BeachBody P90X3 DVDs, worth an estimated $5,800 MSRP.
The counterfeit DVDs arrived from Hong Kong in two separate shipments and were destined for two addresses in Philadelphia. CBP officers examined the shipments and detained them April 1 to determine their authenticity with the trademark holder, BeachBody.
CBP simultaneously worked with the importer and broker to obtain specific authorization from the trademark holder permitting it to import BeachBody products. Neither was able to provide an authorization letter from BeachBody.
BeachBody confirmed that the products were counterfeit. CBP seized both shipments April 25 for a violation of 19 USC 1526, Merchandise Bearing and American Trademark.
“U.S. Customs and Border Protection urges consumers to be especially vigilant against purchasing suspected counterfeit technology products that may have a hidden, embedded virus that can steal your personal information, wipe your hard drive clean, or destroy your electronic devices,” said Susan Stranieri, CBP Port Director for the Area Port of Philadelphia. “If the price seems too good to be true, it likely is a counterfeit or pirated item, and is a potentially dangerous product.”
The counterfeit DVDs will be destroyed.
Protecting intellectual property rights (IPR) remains a CBP priority trade issue.
CBP protects businesses and consumers every day through an aggressive IPR enforcement program. CBP targets and seizes imports of counterfeit and pirated goods, and enforces exclusion orders on patent-infringing and other IPR violative goods.
The People’s Republic of China, where these DVDs were manufactured, remains the primary source economy for counterfeit and pirated goods seized by CBP and its primary IPR partner, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). In Fiscal Year 2013, 68 percent of all IPR seizures were for goods manufactured in China. The MSRP of those counterfeit goods was valued at approximately $1.1 billion.
In addition to China, CBP and ICE seized counterfeit merchandise from 73 additional economies during FY 2013, including Hong Kong, India, Korea, Singapore, and Vietnam.
To view counterfeit seizure statistics from 2013, visit CBP’s 2013 IPR enforcement results and CBP’s IPR enforcement for more information on this priority trade enforcement issue.
Inspecting international parcels for dangerous and illicit products remains a CBP enforcement priority.
CBP routinely conducts random inspections operations on passengers and air cargo searching for narcotics, currency, weapons and other prohibited or illicit products.
For more on CBP’s border security mission, visit the Ports of Entry page.
Visit CBP’s Trade page to learn more about how we facilitate and regulate international commerce to the U.S.