13 WTHRNFL cracks down on counterfeit merchandise

NFL cracks down on counterfeit merchandise

Chris Proffitt/Eyewitness News

The NFL is on the look-out for what it calls ripoffs and inferior merchandise. Colts T-shirts, hats, jackets and jerseys are being sold that aren't officially licensed. The apparel is sold on the street and out of cars. The league is taking steps to protect its trademarks by seizing counterfeit merchandise and prosecuting the people selling it.

Crowds this week in downtown Indianapolis are gladly paying $15 for a Colts T-shirt. But the same shirt costs more than twice that in stores.

The National Football League calls bootleg NFL merchandise a persistent problem. Eyewitness News found a man downtown with a suitcase full of Colts hats he didn't want us to see.

According to the NFL, its officially licensed merchandise sales are worth about $3.5 billion per year. The Super Bowl alone generates about $100 million in sales. Yet it's unclear how much the league annually loses to counterfeit sales on the street.

"Counterfeit merchandise is ripping off our fans. It's detracting from sales your local retailers can make and the fans think poorly of this experience with the NFL and the Colts and we don't want that so we're warning our fans to be on the look-out for counterfeit merchandise," said Brian McCarthy, NFL.

The NFL is also on the lookout, using investigators in Indianapolis and Miami to seize counterfeits. The League expects to confiscate a half million dollars' worth of counterfeit Super Bowl apparel this year.

"I don't trust people like that. I'd rather go to the Finish line or Dick's. Some place like that," said Dillon Applegate, fan.

The NFL says its licensed merchandise always comes with a tell-tale holographic sticker on the tag. For many fans, buying the real thing is worth the extra money. But it seems there are more than enough fans willing to pay for cut-rate colts gear on the street, where business is booming.

The NFL says it aggressively protects its trademarks, confiscating goods and prosecuting counterfeiters. The league's also asking fans tonight not to buy off the street, calling the mechandise illegal and inferior.