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Pokemon Knock-offs Seized In Italy
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 Italian tax police have seized 335,000 fake Pokemon items, ranging from toys to beach towels, officials said Tuesday.The goods, if sold, would have brought in about $4 million, said Col. Giancarlo Pezzuto said. Some 24 Italians, including several factory owners, were charged, most of them accused of falsification. Some of the goods were imported from China, while others were manufactured in Italy, Pezzuto said. The Pokemon phenomenon originated in Japan three years ago as a Nintendo Game Boy game. It quickly expanded into cartoons, comic books and trading cards, becoming a multibillion dollar enterprise and enjoying enormous popularity. [Posted 8/22/2000]
  
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