BOSTON – The National Basketball Association last warns local retailers and Boston Celtics fans to beware of counterfeit merchandise. As the Celtics play in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals, demand for team apparel and memorabilia is higher than it has been all season – making fans an attractive target for producers of illegal knock-offs, the NBA said.
“As the Celtics continue to win and advance through the playoffs, their merchandise becomes more popular among basketball fans and counterfeiters alike,” Ayala Deutsch, the NBA’s senior vice president and chief intellectual property counsel, said in a statement last night. “The 2008 NBA Playoffs is an event that Boston fans will want to remember for many years to come.”
The sale of such counterfeit sports merchandise is an ongoing problem, and is more prevalent during post-season play, the league noted. The NBA is a member of the Coalition to Advance the Protection of Sports logos (CAPS), which has been involved in the seizure of more than 9 million pieces of counterfeit merchandise, valued at more than $329 million, featuring the logos of pro or college sports teams.
“If a price seems too good to be true, it probably is,” Deutsch said.
She urged fans to look for the hologram sticker and sewn-in label indentifying the merchandise as “genuine” or “official,” as authorized by the NBA; to shop at authorized retail locations, such as the Celtics team store or NBAstore.com, rather than buying from street vendors or flea markets; and to watch for ripped tags, typographical errors and poor or irregular printing.
“A counterfeit T-shirt is not really a keepsake if it contains a typo or shrinks three sizes when you put it in the laundry,” she said.
For more information about the National Basketball Association and the 2008 NBA Playoffs, visit www.nba.com. For Boston Celtics news and information, visit www.nba.com/celtics.
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