NBA Issues Warning to Basketball Fans: Beware of Counterfeit All-Star Game Merchandise.LAS VEGAS -- When the NBA NBA abbr. 1. National Basketball Association 2. National Boxing Association NBA (US) n abbr (= National Basketball Association) → Basketball-Dachverband (= All-Star Game visits Las Vegas next week - marking the first time an All-Star Game is played in a city without an NBA team - unsuspecting basketball fans will be targeted by counterfeiters attempting to sell illegal and poorly produced knock-off NBA merchandise. Potential victims this week will range from authorized retailers in the Las Vegas area to basketball fans who believe they're purchasing authentic NBA souvenirs, only to later learn they've obtained counterfeit merchandise of inferior quality. Since 1993, the NBA - through its membership in the Coalition to Advance the Protection of Sports logos (CAPS) - has been involved in the seizure of more than nine million pieces of counterfeit merchandise featuring the logos of various professional sports leagues  This article has no lead section.To comply with Wikipedia's lead section guidelines, one should be written. and teams, colleges and universities - valued at more than $300 million. Such counterfeiting often occurs around large sporting events like the NBA All-Star 2007, taking place in Las Vegas from February 16-18. "The NBA insists upon the highest quality products, to protect both our authorized vendors and our fans," said Ayala Deutsch, senior vice president & chief intellectual property counsel for the NBA. "Counterfeiting is a lose-lose situation, harming those retailers who play by the rules and cheating fans out of the lasting NBA mementos they deserve." To avoid being victimized by counterfeiters, Deutsch urges basketball fans to: * Look for the hologram sticker or holographic hangtag hang·tag n. A tag attached to a piece of merchandise giving information about its composition and proper care and use. and a sewn-in or screen printed neck label identifying the merchandise as "genuine" or "official," as authorized by the NBA. * Shop at NBA-authorized retail locations, such as NBA All-Star Jam Session presented by adidas, the Thomas & Mack Center, Fashion Show Mall Fashion Show Mall is located at 3200 Las Vegas Boulevard South on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada (an unincorporated town in the Las Vegas area). Fashion Show Mall is owned by the General Growth Properties Inc. , NBA Store on 52nd & 5th Avenue in New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. , NBAStore.com and official hotels - rather than buying items from street vendors, flea markets, or other questionable sources. * Beware of ripped tags or irregular markings on apparel. "But if a price seems too good to be true, it probably is," added Deutsch. In addition to misleading consumers who believe they are buying legitimate memorabilia, counterfeiting significantly harms lawful vendors through lost business. The NBA will be working with Las Vegas law enforcement authorities, who will be responsible for enforcing local laws prohibiting the sale of counterfeit merchandise during NBA All-Star 2007 events. About CAPS: The Coalition to Advance the Protection of Sports logos (CAPS) is an alliance formed by The Collegiate Licensing Company The Collegiate Licensing Company (CLC) is an American collegiate trademark licensing and marketing company. Founded in 1981 in Selma, Alabama, CLC is the largest and oldest collegiate licensing company in the United States and currently provides its services to more than 200 , Major League Baseball "MLB" and "Major Leagues" redirect here. For other uses, see MLB (disambiguation) and Major Leagues (disambiguation). Major League Baseball (MLB) is the highest level of play in North American professional baseball. Properties, Inc., NBA Properties, Inc., NFL NFL abbr. National Football League NFL (US) n abbr (= National Football League) → Fußball-Nationalliga Properties LLC, and NHL NHL Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, see there Enterprises, L.P. in 1992 to address common trademark protection and enforcement matters of its members. For more information, call 1-800-TEL-CAPS (835-2277) or visit www.capsinfo.com. |
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