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U.S. agents seize $40,000 worth of fake [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] at swap meet
(Honolulu,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], Hawaii) ([link widoczny dla zalogowanych])
Just like professional football players not all NFL gear is made equal.
([link widoczny dla zalogowanych])On Wednesday agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations seized 135 counterfeit [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] from three vendors at the Aloha Stadium swap meet,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], home of this year's Pro Bowl.
Although none of the swap meet vendors were placed under arrest, Special Agent in Charge Marjorie Thompson said the ICE investigation was ongoing.
"The ultimate goal is to get the importer record and who's bringing this into the country and that's what ICE does is protect the borders,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]," said Thompson. ([link widoczny dla zalogowanych])
NFL league officials estimated the fake jerseys were worth $41,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych],000 had they been the real deal. Team jersey's with players' names can sell for $200 or more, but were on display at the swap meet for about $60.
Under the current NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement players receive 59 percent of the revenues from the sale of authentic gear.
([link widoczny dla zalogowanych])NFL Trademark Manager Nancy Wygand told Khon2 it's not known how much counterfeiting costs the league each year, but she said it's easily in the millions of dollars. During last year's [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] in South Florida authorities seized $400,000 of pirated NFL goods.
"It's a big problem,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych],[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]," said Wygand, "but we don't have a number we can give right now. Each year it varies."
The easiest way to verify that an NFL jersey is a legitimate product is to check the hang tag, which features an NFL hologram. The current league hologram is square,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], however the counterfeit jerseys confiscated from the swap meet featured a round hologram. ([link widoczny dla zalogowanych])
While many consumers may not take pitty on the NFL or its players losing out on potential revenue, the counterfeiting of products such as [link widoczny dla zalogowanych]s is not a victimless crime.
"Counterfeit merchandising and trafficking in this really hurts the American economy,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]," said Thompson. "It's hurting the people that are legitimately doing the right thing."
([link widoczny dla zalogowanych]) Larry Ferazani Jr. of the NFL Labor Relations Counsel says many stores simply cannot compete with counterfeit merchandise sold at bargain prices.
"For legitimate mom and pop shops that are trying to play by the rules, employing local people, paying taxes to the city and state - they can't compete with the difference in price,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]," he said.
What at first may seem like a great deal,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], a jersey at less than half the cost,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], may actually cost more in the long run.
"It's a counterfeit so you don't know if you wash (it) one, five, ten times - it could fall apart as opposed to an authentic product," said Wygand. ([link widoczny dla zalogowanych])
"At first touch and feel and especially for like the lay consumer,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], a lot of these are really good; you don't really know the difference. It's tough to tell."
NFL league officials and federal agents plan to patrol the Aloha Stadium grounds on Sunday for more counterfeit products as the Pro Bowl returns to Hawaii after a year's absence. "If they know we're out there looking for the product then maybe they won't come back," said Wygand. "Around these big games we have a bigger staff of investigators and law enforcement help which is great."([link widoczny dla zalogowanych])