They may not have caught them all, but more than 86,000 counterfeit Pokémon are off the streets thanks to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Pennsylvania.
Inspection of incoming shipments from Hong Kong revealed a manifest for 15 shipping boxes that had been said to contain “plastic furnishing articles.” Upon further inspection, the boxes contained knockoff Pokémon action figures. According to the CBP, authentic figures would have carried a retail price of approximately $604,000.
“In addition to protecting the trademark holder’s intellectual property (IP) rights, Customs and Border Protection’s primary concern with counterfeit consumer goods is the potential harm they can cause to American consumers, such as the choking hazard these figurines pose to children,” says Michelle Stover, CBP’s port director for the Port of Harrisburg. “CBP officers remain committed to working with our consumer safety partners to protect American consumers by seizing dangerous counterfeit goods at our nation’s ports of entry.”
The bootleg Pokémon were en route to an address in Snyder County, Pennsylvania when seized for violating U.S. IP rights.
In 2017, Wicked Cool Toys, now a Jazwares company, became the master licensee to produce Pokémon figures. At the time, the Pokémon Co. International also became a strategic investor in the company. At Toy Fair New York this year, Wicked Cool unveiled a new collection of Legendary Pokémon toys.
