JOC Staff | Jan 14, 2013 10:21AM EST
US Customs seizes fake guitars.This past holiday season, Chicago Customs and Border Protection officers at the O’Hare International Mail Facility seized more than 50 counterfeit electric and acoustic guitars, in addition to other types of fake merchandise.
The instruments were single shipments coming to the U.S. from China and valued from $300 to $700 per guitar. They bore counterfeit trademarks and trade names such as Fender, Gibson, Martin and Taylor. Officers, with the help of trade systems and trademark holders, found the guitars had a different feel, look and sound in addition to being of substandard quality.
“These fake rip-off products hurt the economy, consumer health and safety and even threaten national security,” said William A. Ferrara, Customs’ acting director of field operations in Chicago, in a written statement. He recommended that consumers only buy merchandise from reputable companies.
