Mlb Targets Counterfeit Merchandise Show Of Force In Cleveland A Week Before All-Star Game

Major league baseball made a show of force Monday in an effort to deter people who sell counterfeit All-Star merchandise.

The tactic has worked before: In the last two years only six T-shirts made by unlicensed manufacturers were seized at All-Star Games in Philadelphia and Texas.

This year’s All-Star Game will be played July 8 at Jacobs Field.

Ethan Orlinsky, who protects merchandise profits as vice president and general counsel for Major League Baseball Enterprises, was surrounded at a news conference by officials from the Cleveland police, FBI, Secret Service, U.S. attorney’s office, Cuyahoga County prosecutor and U.S. Customs Service.

“I’ve been doing this for a lot of years, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen this kind of support for an anti-counterfeiting effort,” Orlinsky said.

Licensed caps, T-shirts, jackets and other items carry the “genuine merchandise” label and player silhouette logo. Counterfeit sports gear amounts to $200 billion a year in sales worldwide.