The "high-stakes game of cat and mouse between NFL
Properties ... and the huge bogus merchandise industry goes
into warp drive in these days leading up to the Super Bowl,"
according to Jim Stingl of the MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL.
Nearly $1M in NFL knockoffs "were seized at each of the last
few Super Bowls." NFL Manager of Corporate Communications
Brian McCarthy said counterfeit potential this year "is
heightened" due to San Diego's proximity to Tijuana and
L.A., where "cheap, often poorly made" items are
manufactured. McCarthy: "I saw a T-shirt that had the
spelling of San Diego incorrect." On Thursday, NFLP, along
with the Packers and Broncos, are expecting to receive
authorization from the Superior Court of the CA to "slap
restraining orders on counterfeiters and seize their stuff."
The league placed a full-page ad in the San Diego Union-
Tribune showing a shirt bearing the words: "My boss went to
the Super Bowl in San Diego and all I got was this lousy
counterfeit T-shirt." Super Bowl merchandise sales "are
expected to top" $100M this year (JOURNAL SENTINEL, 1/21).
