A shipment of more than 36,000 fake AirPods from China to Cincinnati has been seized by Customs and Border Protection after the fake earbuds were found to violate Apple's copyright infringement rules, according to a press release from the agency.
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The shipment of earbuds were declared seized on May 11 and May 13 after they were found to include not only Apple's logo but also the shape and design of AirPods. The 36,000 AirPods, valued at $7.16 million, were split across three separate shipments.
On May 6, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Cincinnati inspected three large shipments from China and found what appeared to be tens of thousands of earbuds in violation of Apple's protected configurations. After consulting with an import specialist from CBP's Center of Excellence and Expertise, the items were found to be in violation of CBP trademark and copyright codes and were declared seized on May 11 and 13.
Apple products, especially AirPods, are often counterfeited and sold for a cheaper retail price. Apple is aware of the issue, having an entire team dedicated to ensuring these products do not hit the mainstream market. Manufacturers even go as far as to create fake versions of unreleased AirPods using information from rumors and leaks.
Top Rated Comments
Bigger correction. The items were not found to include Apple logos. The press release stated:
"Apple has configuration trademarks on their AirPods and has recorded those trademarks with the CBP. Furthermore, a company does not have to put the "Apple" wordmark or design on their products to violate these trademarks. In this instance, further inspection of the earbuds revealed that their shape and design replicated the protected Apple configuration."
Apple logos weren't found on the earbuds.
Apple are entitled to enforce their legally-protected designs, but maybe that should be a job for the civil courts, at Apple's expense, and customs/border protection shouldn't be making judgements on those issues...?
Are they really fake or just cheap junk [very likely], since they're not packaged or named in any way to "dupe" any real potential AirPods buyer
It is all so tiresome.