Almost 7,600 pieces of counterfeit stuffed toys were seized at the Port of San Francisco by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers, the agency announced.

Sanrio designs, licenses, produces and sells products featuring Hello Kitty, "an anthropomorphic cat girl also known by her full name Kitty White" and other popular characters such as My Melody ...

Hello Kitty, the mouthless cartoon cat girl, was created in 1974 and is recognized as a global icon. Sanrio said she can be found on 50,000 branded products sold in 130 countries.

The Brief. The CBP said 7,581 Hello Kitty and Pokémon plush toys were seized at the Port of San Francisco. The goods were determined to be counterfeit, the CBP said.

The Japanese company behind the iconic Hello Kitty character was fined by European Union authorities Tuesday for restricting cross-border online sales of products featuring the cartoon cat. The EU ...