In one of the strongest blows in memory against piracy, officials of the Pudong airport from Shanghai, China, seized 7.6 tons of counterfeit letters from Pokemon.
The company behind this shipment of apocryphal merchandise had planned to move it from Quingdao province to the Netherlands. Those responsible almost got away with it, but their mistake was not to reveal the brand of products they carried.
It is a confiscation that stands out for its size
That made the airport authorities suspicious. Like other brands in China, Pokemon has rights reserved or copyright, so the franchise is protected in this country by intellectual property laws.
The responsible company is Qingdao Import and Export Co., Ltd. The letters were packed in large boxes and loaded on wooden pallets. In total there were around 400 thousand packages of fake products.
Some of them were in Spanish and corresponded to Pokémon Sword & Shield. Specifically, to packages of Vivid Voltage, so they could pass as genuine in the European Union.
In other boxes it can simply be read PK, and famous characters from the franchise appeared, as is the case with Pikachu. The problem with these articles is that while some may recognize them as fake, others who are not so savvy would be misled.
There are thousands of apocryphal Pokémon cards
For the same reason, it is always better to buy this type of product with authorized distributors. But the problem of counterfeit letters is only one of those that afflict these letters.
There is also the exaggerated prices that they reach by speculators. All due to the fact that several hoarders have acquired all that they can for some time, which has caused their value to increase in an incredible way.
At least it appears that China is becoming more effective in combating product piracy.
Not long ago there was another case, but related to figures, where not only were thousands of items seized, but the facilities where they were manufactured were closed.
What will happen to these letters from Pokemon? Most likely they will be destroyed, although it is not known whether they will be burned or turned into recycling material.
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