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Police: Super Mario's a fake
By adamg on Tue, 03/09/2010 - 8:25pm
Boston Police report shutting down the Super Mario Store, 3115 Washington St., for selling counterfeit merchandise.
Police say the joint was hawking fake name-brand clothing and sneakers, including faux gear not really made by Timberland, Gucci, Lacost, Juicy Couture, Chanel, North Face, Polo, Oakley, Coach or True Religion. The several hundred dollars officers seized, however, was real, police say,.
Daniel Cabral, 42, of Roslindale and Mario Cabral, 51, of Jamaica Plain will be summoned to court to face charges of crimes against property.
Innocent, etc.
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Comments
glad to see E-13 has wrapped up all those other investigations
They had quite the caseload.
Must have pulled all-nighters to get to the point where they had enough free time to go and do an investigation of trademark violations. That seems like a civil matter that the trademark owners should be concerning themselves with, not the city police force. I thought their job was, you know, actual criminal matters, like the safety of Jamaica Plain residents?
Crack job savin' us from counterfeit Gucci handbags. How's the investigation going on those muggings around Stony Brook? Yeah? Huh.
Agree -- why should BPD care about this?
Let Gucci sue the store if they feel like doing so. Meanwhile, why shut down a small local neighborhood business? Egleston Square doesn't need another vacant storefront.
At most, the police should force the store to post signs saying the merchandise is fake, then leave them alone.
Yeah, seriously
I wonder if something else was going on there that the police wanted shut down, but couldn't prove? Because it's always been obvious to me that the store was selling knockoffs; I didn't think there was any question. Isn't something only fraud if "a reasonable person" gets the impression of legitimacy, or something like that? The place didn't look like any upscale name-brand sort of joint I've ever seen. And yes, it was a nice clean storefront and seemed to be popular, so why shut it down?
The profits from selling
The profits from selling knock-offs often finance other illegitimate enterprises. Whether it's counterfeit cash or goods, some form of organized crime usually has a finger in the pie.
the profits from robbing
The profits from mugging people often finance other illegitimate enterprises. Whether it's stolen GPS units or muggings or house robberies, some form of organized crime usually has a finger in the pie.
i don't have a problem with the police on this...
like it or not, selling counterfeit items is against the law. and for the trademark owners to go after them, they will usually need the property seized, which means getting the police involved. i mean, likely every person who purchased items there knew they were buying fakes, but what if they didn't? they're getting ripped off, and that is actually a crime.
so's spitting
Guess what else is against the law in Massachusetts.
What would you say if they were enforcing that awesome law? Probably: "Don't they have something better to do?!"
Trademarks are intellectual property. It's not the job of the police force to go hunting down violators for private industry. Nothing's stopping Gucci from hiring a PI, collecting enough evidence for a lawsuit, and then getting a court order to shut the place down and have the goods turned over.
I wonder why..
the Revere Flea Market has never been busted? That place is knockoff central!
Not like they were trying to hide
I mean the NAME of the place was an intellectual property ripoff too!
Sorry, Princess, but your Prada bag is in another store.
One of the owners is named Mario
so I think he gets to name the store after himself if he wants.
See that above?
That's me not being completely serious. I'm pretty aware one of the guys is named Mario. I thought it was funny a place selling knockoffs was named the same as a video game character of well-known IP.
Also, my second line above is a spoof from what happens when Super Mario clears a castle at the end of the first levels of the original Super Mario game. Thus...a joke for video game fans.
Sorta off topic
But I always found it amusing that the brand name stuff is usually made in the same factory as the knockoffs. Same factory, same material, same workforce; different intrinsic value.
We humans are a peculiar bunch, aren’t we?
As for the store, unless one of the companies decided to inform the police and work to get them shut down and start legal action, I don’t see why Police should be putting man hours behind this while people are being murdered in Dorchester. The Police have a role to play here, but they shouldn’t be putting in resources until a complaint from a party of interest is recorded. Boston has more problems to worry about then someone making a buck with Rippoff handbags and Foakleys.
Priorities people. Coach has the resources to handle this themselves.
funny
What should the police enforce the most? The things that bring the city money (parking tickets and minute m/v infractions)? The things that look the most serious (murders)? The things people complain the most about (loud parties)?
And I'd say there was a 98% chance someone tipped off the police and actually complained about something going in in this store. This wasn't some random sting.
These types of stores.
Are always the types of places where junkies that break into cars and shoplift go to dump off their goods.
Was this a used-clothing or consignment store?
I didn't see any indication of that in the report.
if that was the case, they
if that was the case, they would have been selling real items, not counterfeits...
or both
thats all.
super mario store
I guess it wouldnt be a big deal if the prices where alot less since they are fake, but he sells them as if they where the real joints. NOW THATS A CRIME!!! he's not hungry, he's starving ppl!!!!!!!