/*US Customs and Border Protection*/, also known as the CBP, seized nearly 10,000 pairs of counterfeit Givenchy sunglasses and 3,600 Giorgio Armani reading glasses at the /*Port of Los Angeles*/ Feb. 2.
The combined value of the seized shipment is nearly $2.6 million. Officials say aside from affecting legitimate manufactures and the /*US economy*/, counterfeit glasses could be a danger to customers since they can shatter, cause eye injury, and may fail to provide UV protection.
"CBP officers and import specialists at Los Angeles/Long Beach seaport assertively work together to intercept shipments containing counterfeit and pirated items," said CBP Acting Director of Los Angeles Field Operations Carlos Martel. "CBP enforces trade laws and continues to devote substantial resources to target and seize commodities that violate these laws."
CBP plays a critical role in enforcing trade laws, including the enforcement of intellectual property rights. Preventing the entry of counterfeit items is crucial to protecting consumers as well as the economy of the United States.
In the fiscal year of 2009 there were 14,841 intellectual property rights seizures with a domestic value of $260 million, at ports of entry in the United States.
