During a week when Gibson issued a cease and desist order to Trump Guitars for infringing upon its Les Paul body shape, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection has seized more than 3,000 fake Gibson electric guitars.
The haul is described as the “largest seizure of fake musical instruments” in history. If the guitars were legitimate Gibsons, the value of the knock-off guitars is believed to be in the region of $18 million.
The news was announced during a public message released on Friday, November 22. The mass seizure was made possible after US Customs collaborated with Gibson, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Their combined know-how proved successful due to “proactive efforts” to “identify, intercept and seize” counterfeit products.
Going one step further, Gibson has promised to “caution customers about fraudulent products sold on e-commerce platforms and other sources,” in a bid to tackle the counterfeit market.
Historically, Gibson has defended its intellectual property fiercely. After opening up a lawsuit against metal guitar builder Dean, a court found it to be civil contempt for failing to comply with Gibson's trademark ruling regarding its usage of V and Z-shaped guitars.
However, Dean has since won the right to a retrial in a move it called “a complete vindication.”
The legendary luthier had also launched, and subsequently dropped, a trademark dispute with Heritage Guitars after the luthier accused it of attempting to “re-write Gibson’s history.”
The history-making seizure is timely. Gibson is celebrating its 130th anniversary this year, with a special release of signature acoustic guitars for Jimmy Page among its celebratory creations.
The Led Zeppelin man has “played each one for three or four minutes” to ensure they all feature a little bit of himself.
Other notable releases have included a reimagining of the Les Paul Studio, the revival of the Victory, a forgotten '80s relic, and Artisan versions of its from-the-archive Theodore design.
It has also given some of its classic models stunning Purple Burst finishes and released its first-ever father-daughter signature guitar line for Johnny and Rosanne Cash.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection will issue further information about the operation in due course.
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