U.S. CUSTOMS DESTROYS THOUSANDS OF COUNTERFEIT CDS

U.S. CUSTOMS DESTROYS THOUSANDS OF COUNTERFEIT CDS

   U.S. Customs announced that the destruction of thousands of counterfeit
PlayStation compact discs Thursday to send a signal to importers that these types of
shipments will not be tolerated.
   The CDs were part of two shipments seized by Customs inspectors in Miami
International Airport in March. Both shipments originated in Singapore and were
transshipped through Paraguay to Miami. The shipments comprised 40,000 CDs, valued at
about $1.3 million.
   The counterfeit PlayStation CDs were destroyed by GreenDisc, a Redmond,
Wash.-based firm contracted by Sony Computer Entertainment America and the Interactive
Digital Software Association.
   Customs has a leading role in U.S. efforts to combat intellectual
property rights violations. From 1994 to 1998, Customs intellectual
property rights seizures increased from $37 million to $76 million. Most
seizures include video tapes, laser discs, computer software, music CDs and tapes.