An enormous shipment of allegedly Gibson electric guitars was seized at the Los Angeles-Long Beach Seaport for being illegal.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents confiscated 3,000 fake Gibson guitars shipped from Asia, leaving U.S. customers stuck playing the air guitar.
Cheryl M. Davies, CBP’s director of field operations in Los Angeles, explained the reason in a statement cited by AP News. “These fake guitars may look and appear legitimate to unsuspecting consumers purchasing them from third-party online sources, street markets, unauthorized retailers or in person-to-person transactions,” she warned. “As the busy holiday shopping season approaches, consumers should be mindful of where they buy these goods and how much they pay, and if it’s too good to be true, it probably is.”
Gibson, founded in 1894, is one of the most famous guitar brands in the world. All of the company’s instruments are manufactured in Nashville and Bozeman, Montana. The company’s chief marketing officer, Beth Heidt, released a statement about the seizure, saying in part: “This is truly emotional and personal for us, not only for the protection of our players, but also for our entire Gibson team, including the artisans at our craftsmen in Nashville, Tennessee and Bozeman, Massachusetts, who represent generations of American families who have dedicated their lives to handcrafting Gibson instruments.”
AP News reports that an investigation is underway to seek out the manufacturer of the fake axes and that mental property rights violations could result in a $250,000 high-quality and 10 years in prison. Whoever’s in charge here might wish to learn play “Jailhouse Rock” quickly.