MLB Counterfeit '44,000 Points' Seized at Dongdaemun and Namdaemun Markets

Seoul 'MLB Season Opening' Pre-Game Crackdown
7 Distributors Arrested in Dongdaemun and Namdaemun Markets
44,000 Counterfeit Items Seized from 7 Warehouses

The Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) has apprehended wholesalers distributing and selling counterfeit MLB (Major League Baseball) merchandise and seized 44,000 counterfeit items they had in storage.

The Trademark Special Judicial Police of KIPO announced on the 22nd that from the 6th to the 7th, they conducted a focused crackdown on clothing wholesale stores around Dongdaemun and Namdaemun in Seoul, and seven wholesalers, including Mr. A (61), who sold counterfeit MLB merchandise, were booked without detention on charges of violating the Trademark Act.

The Special Judicial Police for Trademarks of the Korean Intellectual Property Office conducted a focused crackdown on clothing wholesale stores in the Dongdaemun and Namdaemun areas of Seoul from the 6th to the 7th, seizing a large quantity of counterfeit MLB-related products. Photo by Korean Intellectual Property Office

The crackdown was carried out considering the expected increase in counterfeit MLB merchandise as domestic and international baseball fans’ interest rises with the participation of famous players such as Kim Ha-seong and Shohei Ohtani in the 'MLB 2024 Season Opening Games.' The opening games will be held from the 17th to the 21st of next month at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul.

According to the trademark police, Mr. A and others operated bases in two locations in Dongdaemun Market and five locations in Namdaemun Market, distributing counterfeit MLB-related sportswear and socks nationwide.

Through the crackdown, the trademark police seized 44,341 counterfeit items bearing the trademarks of six famous MLB teams, including the LA Dodgers and New York Yankees, which Mr. A and others had in storage. The estimated genuine value of the seized counterfeit merchandise is approximately 150 million KRW.

Notably, the five Dongdaemun stores were all located adjacent to each other, arranged in a way that made it easy to hide or preemptively remove counterfeit goods from the other stores once the first store was raided. However, the trademark police were able to simultaneously execute seizure warrants at all five locations at night, enabling the crackdown on all the stores.

More importantly, whereas previous crackdowns mostly focused on small quantities of counterfeit goods displayed in stores, the recent operation is significant because it involved identifying large-scale counterfeit merchandise distributors in advance, obtaining seizure warrants, and confiscating numerous counterfeit items stored in warehouses beyond those displayed.

Park Ju-yeon, head of the Trademark Police at KIPO, stated, “The distribution of counterfeit MLB merchandise has been increasing even before the opening games begin. KIPO plans to continue crackdowns not only on official MLB merchandise distributors but also to protect baseball fans enjoying the games from damages caused by counterfeit products.”