Classic video games seized at L.A. port

KenLayton said:
From Replay magazine:
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.
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I don't know about you guys, but I sure feel alot safer now.

kstillin said:
At first, I would think that it would make more sense to disable the game by destroying the PCB and graphics. This way, there would be a nice new cabinet waiting for something like a multi-game or a home for an old classic.
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I know this was part of your story about gambling machines, but isn't that why these particular games were seized? (because of the multi-games)
 
No legal recourse - the shipper got their money and the buyer is flat out screwed. I hate to say this but I went through something similiar and lost $7500 back in 2000. Not a DAMN thing you can do. Assuming these are multi's and the reason they were confiscated, one would think it'd be treated like drugs. Illegal and will be destroyed.

I'd really like to know who the buyer is.
 
Customs will destroy almost everything.

For the car guys out there, there is supposedly a customs warehouse filled with 10-20 Porsche 959's. One of which was Bill Gates.
porsche-959-p1-7.jpg


When they came out in the late 80's everyone rich and famous wanted one but they weren't approved for US use. Only around 5 were able to be registered in US states, one was here in Dayton Ohio and kept at the Porsche museum/event hall here. It was t boned by a girl texting on a phone when she ran a red light. The cars are worth a little over 1 million a piece.
 
What a joke. Every other damn thing in this country is made in China, what the hell is the difference adding a few more games to the mix? I suppose the games were filled with illegal drugs and weapons. Or terrorist bombing plans. Yeah, right.
 
TheRickster said:
For the car guys out there, there is supposedly a customs warehouse filled with 10-20 Porsche 959's. One of which was Bill Gates.
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Bill Gates has been driving his Porsche 959 for quite a few years now.

There are customs exemptions for collector's cars, but there are none for copyright infringements...
 
TheRickster said:
Customs will destroy almost everything.

For the car guys out there, there is supposedly a customs warehouse filled with 10-20 Porsche 959's. One of which was Bill Gates.
porsche-959-p1-7.jpg


When they came out in the late 80's everyone rich and famous wanted one but they weren't approved for US use. Only around 5 were able to be registered in US states, one was here in Dayton Ohio and kept at the Porsche museum/event hall here. It was t boned by a girl texting on a phone when she ran a red light. The cars are worth a little over 1 million a piece.
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I loved this car as a kid!!! Jerry seinfeld has one also. Too bad he will never be allowed to drive it on US soil lol
 
Those are Midway style 60-in-1 cabs. there is a local guy who posts craigslist ads weekly with those same cabs.

-Tom
 
KenLayton said:
The buyer should have just had them shipped to Mexico first then brought into the USA.
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Don't give them any ideas! :) That may have been cost prohibitive anyway.
In fact, a person could have just told the inspectors they are used machines that have been "restored".
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Well, if the inspectors are stupid...
Or you could just remove the gameboards and have the gameboards shipped seperately.
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The artwork too?

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.
 
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sohchx said:
He must be doing his driving outside the US. He can never drive this in the US no matter how rich he is lol
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Bill Gates and Paul Allen, both owners of 959s, lobbied for and helped pass the Show and Display law in 1999, which allows a non-certified car to be driven up to 2,500 miles a year on US roads.

There is also a company, Canepa Designs, that modifies the car to meet the current emissions standards, while increasing the engine's power at the same time.
 
KenLayton said:
CBP seized the items when the importer was unable to provide authorization from the owners.
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What if you were importing genuine vintage machines? Those don't come with authorization from the copyright holders either.
 
I didn't know Bill Gates got released then. :)

The first one legally registered to drive on American streets was John Dixons right here in Dayton Ohio. Until it got totaled during a normal maintenance drive. http://www.tajmagaraj.com/rooms.php that's the museum if anyone is really into cars. He has all the owners manuals and cassette tapes etc. from the 959 still but just a hammered hot wheels car in the case with the goodies.

This is the one that was totaled, It cost 30k to get it registered.
misc034.jpg
 
Those damn Porche 959's are of no use to me whatsoever...

You can't even haul a damn 19" monitor in one of them much less a standard upright cabinet...

I would take a good ol' pickup truck anyday over a Porche...
 
these were going for 359 each with 60 in 1's in them, the sellers I know of wanted to fill a shipping container and would discount accordingly, but as you see you have to come up with one big order...they just always look even cheaper in person...
 
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