Counterfeit Blackhawks gear worth $180k seized.

[Dottonedan]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-blackhawks-counterfeit-merchandise-met-20150619-story.html

[dirkdiggler]

People who do this are crazy, I had a guy that would not stop trying to get me to do illegal falcons stuff a few years ago when they were actually good.  He later was busted in the Todd Gurley autograph scandal.  Crime doesn't pay.

[Sbrem]

Just this morning, 12 shirts with Lady Gaga, and 12 shirts with Taylor Swift. Go buy them online we said, save all the startup costs. Oh yeah, it's illegal by the way, we don't do that here…

Steve

[jvanick]

I have guy that calls me like clockwork asking for us to do knockoff stuff everytime one of the chicago teams gets into the playoffs/etc...

how many times do I have to tell you NO before you just go away.

if he wasn't so weird and creepy I'd think that he was a cop or agent of some sort... but this guy is just freakin WEIRD.

-J

[Croft]

don't want to rock the boat but why the heck is Homeland security involved in this? there must be many other levels of law enforcement or teams of lawyers that can do this?

[Frog]

don't want to rock the boat but why the heck is Homeland security involved in this? there must be many other levels of law enforcement or teams of lawyers that can do this?

Coming from China, it falls under the auspices of Immigration and Customs Enforement (ICE) and apparently Homeland Security is their investigative branch.

[GaryG]

Once walked into a mall store and asked the worker why some
Simpson's shirts had copywrite and some didn't?

Then walked out a ways away and sat down to watch what he did.
He came out to front of store looking around all crazy nervous. Funny~

[mimosatexas]

Bit of a tangent, but the simpsons things got me thinking...

I have a client who wants shirts that are homer choking bart, only there skin is brown, and it says the family name instead of the simpsons.  Protected by parody right?

[Itsa Little CrOoked]

Thanks for posting this, Dan.

The girls up front all need to read the linked article.  Not because we are violators, (we aren't) but just because methinks every so often it's good to read one of these for a reality check.

We just opened a brand new Costco in Wichita, and believe it or not, the first rattle out of the box, they found that some of their fanwear wasn't tagged with the holographic tags (we spend some coin on those) that are required. Out they went, double time!  I don't have any details, but somebody surely got written up.  I imagine Costco's corporate takes a dim view of loose cannons in the purchasing department.

No bigger than Wichita State University is, our fee to the licensing entity is 10% of our tagged price. We feel that is a little stiff for a mid-major basketball program, but we just pass it on.

But 10% is cheap compared to huge fines, or perhaps 3 roommates dressed just like you. I don't understand the strength of the temptation.  (Shruggs...)

[Frog]

I don't understand the strength of the temptation.  (Shruggs...)

The temptation is there because, unlike knockoffs of some other products, this stuff is pretty easily within the production ability of most members here and of course, the thousands of other printers, both large and small around the world.

A few Christmases ago, I had a client wanting one or two hoodies with an SF Giants logo on them (she insisted that she had looked but could not find any "real merchandise" either in that style or that size).
I told her to buy some licenced transfers, and I could professionally apply then for her. A week later, she showed up with a sheet of six transfers, purchased on ebay. Looked professional, but, without any licensing or trademark indication, looking like regular inkjet opaque, then cut on a plotter with a magic eye.
It wasn't my business to track down the "thief" but I have to guess that type of stuff was common.

Oh, and a place I worked had previously gotten into trouble for printing unlicensed Raiders crap for another known local printer with a low moral standard who, himself had had two locations suspiciously burn down.

[Doug B]

Bit of a tangent, but the simpsons things got me thinking...

I have a client who wants shirts that are homer choking bart, only there skin is brown, and it says the family name instead of the simpsons.  Protected by parody right?

  I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot donut.

[blue moon]

Bit of a tangent, but the simpsons things got me thinking...

I have a client who wants shirts that are homer choking bart, only there skin is brown, and it says the family name instead of the simpsons.  Protected by parody right?

  I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot donut.

agreed! it is not a parody on the Simpsons, but rather a different line of product (in this case the family) so it would not qualify. For it to be parody, you have to be making fun of the Simpsons or the artwork.

pierre

[mimosatexas]

Good to know