File this under things you didn't know existed: There apparently is a market for counterfeit Roku remote controls. But this week that market shrank a bit, thanks to Customs and Border Patrol agents in Pittsburgh, who seized some 1,600 counterfeit remotes headed to Butler County, north of the city.
The remotes were worth an estimated $80,000 on the street, CBP said in a news release.
Roku remotes range in price from $15 to $30 on Roku's website . Online retailers like Amazon and eBay are littered with knockoff remote controls, though — complete with sponsored buttons for services like Netflix, Sling and Hulu — for much less.
"Customs and Border Protection officers remain committed to protecting the intellectual property rights of businesses while protecting consumers against potentially harmful counterfeit products," Kathleen Killian Schafer, CBP's Acting Port Director for the Port of Pittsburgh, said in the news release . (Via TribLive and Reddit ) "Consumers should be aware that counterfeit goods pose a health and safety threat and should protect their families by purchasing safe, authentic goods from reputable vendors."
