The US CBP, or Customs and Border Protection recently reported that they seized two thousand counterfeit Apple AirPods with an estimated value of $398,000, part of a larger group of fake goods that amounted to $1.5B.
The Verge however, pointed out that the goods weren’t fake AirPods but OnePlus Buds. The products were stored in OnePlus Buds boxes and advertised as such. It’s easy to see how the earbuds would appear to be Apple AirPods in appearance, but calling them counterfeit could be an error in the department’s behalf. If this would be true then the value of the goods only comes to around $158K in total.
OnePlus USA tweeted a response to the news, however CBP said they won’t be returning the goods. According to a statement, the earbuds in question violated configuration trademark on their AirPods which have been recorded with the department.
The CBP claims the move protects consumers and the economy by the dangers associated with fake electronics.
