LOS ANGELES - Authorities Monday announced the seizure of more than 5,200 counterfeit refrigerator water filters at the Los Angeles/Long Beach seaport in a shipment from China.
"If genuine, the seized filters would have had an estimated manufacturer's suggested retail price of $224,202,'' said Jaime Ruiz of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Officers assigned to the seaport complex found the items July 2 in a shipment arriving from China with a final destination in the state of Washington, Ruiz said.
The items were seized after Machinery Center import specialists confirmed that the filters infringed Brita, GE, Frigidaire, PUR and NSF certification protected trademarks.
NSF International is an accredited, third-party certification body, which tests and evaluates products to public health and safety standards, Ruiz said.
Products certified by NSF have been tested, evaluated and determined to comply with specific standards, policies and procedures.
The water filters seized contained counterfeit NSF certification markings printed on the products, and had not been evaluated, tested or certified by NSF, Ruiz said.