On August 31, US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) officers seized 2,000 counterfeit Apple Airpods from Hong Kong destined for Nevada at an air cargo facility located at John F. Kennedy International Airport. They were so proud of the capture, they issued a press release on September 11.
If the merchandise were genuine, the Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) would have been $398,000.
“CBP Officers are protecting the American public from various dangers on a daily basis,” said Troy Miller, Director of CBP’s New York Field Operations. “The interception of these counterfeit earbuds is a direct reflection of the vigilance and commitment to mission success by our CBP Officers daily.”
They then proudly proceeded to tweet their accomplishment earlier this morning.
The problem, as the images attached to the CBP announcement and tweet show, that the seized earbuds are in fact OnePlus Buds.
Most brands quite blatantly copy the look and design from Apple and make their products look like blatant Apple AirPod clones. However, when the box clearly states that they are from OnePlus and not attempting to be Apple AirPods, there clearly is a problem.
While CBP have clearly messed up here by ignoring the box, it does highlight that at first glance, too many companies are copying Apple’s design – and perhaps this should be a warning to them.
