US Customs to Santa: "Don't put fakes in the stockings"

Taking a new direction from their traditional holiday warnings (Make sure that turkey is fully cooked! Make the neighborhood kids shovel the walk if you have a heart condition!), the federal government today issued a warning against buying unlicensed knockoff products as gifts this holiday season.

According to this AP report, US Customs and Border Protection wants to remind everyone that, besides being illegal, counterfeit products may not conform to the same safety standards as the genuine article.

It's worth noting here that a significant benefit of registering a trademark with the USPTO is that customs will work to prevent unlicensed fakes from entering the country. Learn more here and here.