Customs officers seized more than $1.5 million worth of counterfeit vape pens featuring cartoon characters from a popular show at O’Hare International Airport on Tuesday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Thursday.
Officers at the airport’s international mail branch were examining two shipments of 258 total “Rick and Morty”-branded boxes from Shenzhen, China, when they found the vape pens — 77,400 of them, which would have been worth $1.55 million if real, according to a news release. Rechargeable Disposable Vape
“The officers found popular cartoon characters on the vape pen packaging and suspected the vape pens violated copyright and trademark laws,” the agency said. “CBP reached out to Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., and it was confirmed they had not licensed their ‘Rick and Morty’ copyright for vape pens.”
The agency’s import specialists found that the shipments infringed on the show’s copyright, according to the release.
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection photograph of one of 77,000 counterfeit cartoon-themed vape pens confiscated March 9, 2021, at O'Hare International Airport. Some of the boxes appeared to mimic character styles from shows such as "The Simpsons" and "Rick and Morty." (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)
In pictures, a box of banana- and grape-flavored disposable pens featured bright yellow, “Simpsons”-style versions of the show’s titular pair of protagonists. Another box showed a purple character with a jeweled glove standing next to a small green figure, reminiscent of Marvel supervillain Thanos and his daughter Gamora.
An agency spokesman could not confirm if copyrights for other shows and movies had also been violated.
“The way they told me, it was all ‘Rick and Morty’ merchandise,” said spokesman Steve Bansbach, referring to the officers at the O’Hare branch.
Officers at the airport seized another 50,000 vape pens in January, which the agency said were mislabeled as lithium-ion batteries rather than as tobacco products, violating U.S. Food and Drug Administration guidelines.
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection photograph of one of 77,000 counterfeit cartoon-themed vape pens confiscated March 9, 2021, at O'Hare International Airport. Some, like this one, had pictures of Homer and Bart Simpson while others had pictures of cartoon characters Rick and Morty. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)
“Often CBP seizes vape pens because they violate FDA guidelines, but these parcels violate copyright laws which adds to the charges and complexity of the case,” said Shane Campbell, area port director for Chicago, in Thursday’s release. “Counterfeit products are unsafe for consumers, harm the economy, damage the revenue and image of the companies, and could cost American jobs.”
Vape Starter Kit The agency seized more than 26,000 shipments of counterfeit goods across the country in fiscal year 2020, according to the release, which the agency said would have been worth nearly $1.3 billion if real.