A huge shipment of what was supposed to be Gibson electric guitars was seized at the Los Angeles-Long Beach Seaport for being out of tune with the law.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents grabbed 3,000 fake Gibson guitars shipped from Asia, leaving U.S. customers stuck playing air guitar.
Cheryl M. Davies, CBP director of field operations in Los Angeles, explained the sting in a statement quoted by AP News. “These fraudulent guitars may look and feel legitimate for unsuspecting consumers buying them from third-party online sources, street markets, unauthorized retailers, and person-to-person transactions,” she warned. “As we approach the busy Holiday shopping season, consumers should pay attention on where they are buying these goods and how much they are paying, and if is too good to be true it probably is.”
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Gibson, founded in 1894, is one of the world’s most well-known guitar brands. All of its instruments are made in Nashville and Bozeman, Montana. The company’s chief marketing officer Beth Heidt released a statement about the seizure, saying in part, “This is really emotional and personal for us not only because of the protection of our players, but because of our Gibson team at large, including the artisans at our craftories in Nashville, TN and Bozeman, MT, who are generations of American families that have dedicated their entire lives to handcrafting Gibson instruments.”
AP News reports there is an ongoing investigation to find the maker of the faux axes and that intellectual property violations can result in a $250,000 fine and 10 years in prison. Whoever is in charge might want to learn how to play “Jailhouse Rock” fast.
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