Legal Question in Intellectual Property in California

Customs' inaction with respect to labels and tags should not, in my opinion, be taken as a guarantee of authenticity. Indeed, it seems unlikely to me that authentic (i.e., valuable) merchandise would fall into the abandoned and unclaimed category. Further, even if the goods are authentic, this doesn't assure that you have a right to resell them. Many manufacturers of premium goods control the distribution and resale of their products by licensing dealers and other means, and in so doing, they are operating within the bounds of trademark law, which allows downstream marketing control as necessary for quality assurance and brand protection.