| Salt Lake City |
 |
 |
| GER |
12 |
16 |
7 |
35 |
 |
| USA |
10 |
13 |
11 |
34 |
|
| NOR |
11 |
7 |
6 |
24 |
|
| CAN |
6 |
3 |
8 |
17 |
|
| RUS |
6 |
6 |
4 |
16 |
|
| AUT |
2 |
4 |
10 |
16 |
|
| ITA |
4 |
4 |
4 |
12 |
|
| FRA |
4 |
5 |
2 |
11 |
|
| SUI |
3 |
2 |
6 |
11 |
|
| NED |
3 |
5 |
0 |
8 |
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Getting Olympic goods? Buyer, beware
By Amy Donaldson
Deseret News staff writer
Some people make it their Olympic mission to get certain Olympic pins.
But manic collectors should beware of bad merchandise. Investigators from two federal law enforcement agencies alerted the public Wednesday that not all memorabilia is worth the asking price.
And some of it is illegal.
"It's a big problem," Carol Covert, an FBI special agent assigned to work with U.S. Customs investigators during the 2002 Winter Games, said of counterfeit Olympic merchandise.
Just since the beginning of the Games, investigators have seized 50 loads of imitation souvenirs, including "hundreds of thousands of pins," said Don Daufenbach, investigator with U.S. Customs. None of the seizures have led to arrests, but several investigations are still pending.
Investigators have executed four search warrants and recovered counterfeit material such as hats, vests, T-shirts and blankets. The most common knock-offs, however, have been pins.
"For whatever reason, it seems the pins have captured everyone's attention. We have agents out on a daily basis," Daufenbach said. "The consumer is the ultimate loser, because they spend sometimes a lot of money and have nothing to show for it."
The problem with the merchandise is that it uses Olympic symbols that have been copyrighted or trademarked without permission. After it's confiscated, it's destroyed, and those caught selling or making the illegal memorabilia can face fines or jail time of up to two years behind bars.
The sale of legitimate, licensed merchandise benefits the Salt Lake Organizing Committee, which is responsible for paying for the Games, and the athletes' training costs.
Since the start of the Games, SLOC says $13 million worth of licensed merchandise has been sold.
So how does a shopper know if the green Jell-O pin is legit?
Daufenbach said there are several ways to protect yourself from a bad buy. First, when buying a pin, look for the name "Aminco" on the back. It is the most common maker of Olympic pins, although not the only company authorized to do so. Second, the average retail price is between $7 and $12.
Also, don't buy pins with any cartoon figures like Betty Boop, Snoopy or any of the Disney characters. They are not licensed to sell on Olympic pins.
"If you spend more, you're taking a leap of faith," Daufenbach said. "Be safe and buy from a legitimate seller."
One of the largest seizures came from an overseas shipment of Beijing 2008 pins. Agents got word of the shipment months ago and contacted organizing officials in China, who said they hadn't even designed pins yet.
When buying clothing, look for the official hanging tag — where the price tag is usually displayed — which has the SLOC snowflake symbol. There should also be a tag on the inside of shirts that has the same symbol.
"If the merchandise doesn't have these marks, then buyer beware," Daufenbach said.
He said many of the vendors selling the illegal goods aren't aware of the trademark infringement and choose to just walk away from the merchandise without any other penalty.
"There is actually some ignorance out there," he said of the unknowing entrepreneurs. "We're trying to be real fair and easy-going, but some of these people are known to us."
E-mail: adonaldson@desnews.com
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February 21, 2002
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