CBP Seizes 591 Counterfeit Audemars Piguet Watches in Louisville Worth Over $85 Million if Genuine
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced that officers at the Port of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky, stopped a shipment on Oct. 30 that had arrived from Hong Kong en route to a residence in Texas, seizing 591 watches bearing Audemars Piguet trademarks. CBP's Centers of Excellence and Expertise, the agency's trade experts, determined the watches were counterfeit, and they were seized for infringing registered and recorded trademarks. Had the watches been genuine, the shipment would have had a combined manufacturer's suggested retail price of more than $85 million. The Port of Louisville is one of the nation's major air cargo ports.
It was the second such interception at the port in a week. On Oct. 23, officers at the same port stopped a shipment of 460 counterfeit Audemars Piguet watches that would have been worth more than $66 million if genuine.
Louisville Port Director Philip Onken said the watches have no real value on their face, but could be used to deceive buyers if they reached the intended recipient. He urged consumers to buy only from trusted retailers to avoid losing money to fake goods.
CBP said that since May, its Louisville officers have seized five large shipments of counterfeit jewelry and watches, and that including the Oct. 30 case, the total value reaches $285 million, excluding separate seizures of narcotics and other prohibited goods. The agency added that counterfeiting is a global problem, with nearly 90 percent of its intellectual property rights seizures in fiscal year 2025 originating from China and Hong Kong.
CBP said counterfeit purchases hurt legitimate companies by diverting revenue and, over time, contribute to lost profits and U.S. jobs. Consumers can often spot counterfeit products through signs such as peeling labels, poor printing, weak packaging, uneven stitching and incorrect sizing, the agency said, adding that its intellectual property enforcement program is designed to protect American businesses at the border from unfair competition and misuse of their brands.
Related: Counterfeit watches worth $66 million intercepted by Louisville CBP
Source: U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
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