On the Beat



New Albany man and his daughter charged with selling counterfeit NFL jerseys.
by Danza
 On the beat
8 months ago | 998 views | 3 3 comments | 3 3 recommendations | email to a friend | print | permalink

OXFORD — The federal trial of a man and his daughter accused of trafficking counterfeit NFL jerseys has been postponed until March 22. Olen and Carla Knotts are accused of acquiring the fake Reebok International Limited football jerseys from China and having them delivered to New Albany, Miss. A five-page indictment from July says they sold about 200 jerseys on a Web site and told customers the jerseys were authentic. They have pleaded not guilty in U.S. District Court.

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comments (3)
« MIKEOWEN wrote on Wednesday, Dec 16 at 10:08 AM »
It is a little more complicated than what you describe. Did the people that sold the Jersey's to the defendent's pass themselves off as licensed distributor's and an agent for NFL products ? Probably ! Why was this material not intercepted at customs if it was illegal ? Probably because it was the same manufactuer that REEBOK uses and they shipped it with a legitimate order.

The current trade policies are a mine field for potential retailers buying direct from China. Of course the PATRIOTIC question is why is the NFL using a Chinese company to produce their products ? Are there no men or women in the U.S.A. capable of making a Football Jersey ?

It is also interesting to note that this is a FEDERAL case. The lady selling purses was apprehended by local authorities. That will be fun to watch play out if she has a half way decent lawyer.

My contention is that when American Companies go overseas to have products produced they relenquish any hold on Patents, Trademarks or Copyright (of course the question here is license). Had these Jerseys been made in the U.S.A. I would be all for the arrest and apprehension of bootleggers. Since they were produced overSea's I do not beleive the current law allows for their licensing in the United States. I could be and am probably wrong but I look forward to one of these type cases making it to the High Court for clarification. As it stands now the defendent usually pays a fine (small) and goes about their business.
« MsPamperd wrote on Wednesday, Dec 16 at 06:30 AM »
Buying from China is not an illegal activity. The lack of license/permits from the NFL for importing a registered trade name is! Any item bearing a registered trade name requires an offical permit from the owner to legally bring goods into the US. Otherwise it is FRAUDULENT. From the article, they were charged, doesnt mean they are guilty. The real question would be, were they working with the proper NFL authorities in order to be a licensed distributor?
« MIKEOWEN wrote on Tuesday, Dec 15 at 02:13 PM »
Another misleading news report. All Reebok products are produced in China. So while the people bought the products from China this article infers that aquiring the Jersey's from China is an indication of guilt.