| An Untimely Christmas Delivery
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One importer may have felt as though Customs was playing Scrooge when they seized his shipment of watches just before Christmas. It was Senior Inspector Bonnie Aidelman who put a stop on the watches, which is exactly what the law requires her to do. The package arrived in New York accompanied by a letter from a customs broker stating that the shipment was "time-sensitive" and asking that the processing be expedited. The four watches (three Cartier and one Patek Philippe) were to be Christmas gifts for the firm's clients - $15,000 gifts. Inspector Aidelman thought that the request for time-sensitive processing was unwarranted and the declared value and weight of the package was not quite right for four watches. When Senior Inspector Frederick Cornman and Import Specialist Anthony Grossi examined the package, they found 15 Rolex watches and not the watches listed on the invoice. Import Specialist Les Isaacson determined that the watches were genuine and valued them at $141,025. The importer then claimed that the box was to be shipped to Switzerland, but each watch box also included a warranty, an invoice, and a receipt with the name and address of a customer in New York. The watches were seized and will probably be auctioned off for export only. | The Rolex trademark recordation with Customs indicates "Import of Goods Bearing Genuine Trademarks or Trade Names Restricted." This means that genuine Rolex products can only be imported with the permission of the trademark owner, Rolex Watch U.S.A. Inc. A private individual can hand carry one Rolex watch from a trip overseas without obtaining permission. Bring in more than one, and they will all be seized as a trademark violation. Purchasing a Rolex from overseas by mail is also a trademark violation. |
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