CALIFORNIA STATUTES AND CODES
SECTIONS 21670-21672
BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONS CODE
SECTION 21670-21672
21670. For purposes of this article, the following definitions
apply:
(a) "Altered or refurbished" means repair work which has been
performed to enhance the value of the sports trading card as a
collectible. This work includes, but is not limited to, filling in
holes, building new corners, ironing out creases, or touching up the
pictures or borders on the sports trading card.
(b) "Legitimate sports trading card" means any card produced for
use in commerce, that contains a company name or team logo, or both,
and an image, representation, or facsimile of one or more players or
other team member or members in any pose, and is produced pursuant to
an appropriate licensing agreement.
(c) "Counterfeit sports trading card" means any card, produced for
use in commerce, without appropriate licensing authority, which is a
forgery, copy, or imitation of a legitimate sports trading card,
produced without authority or right, and with the intention of
passing the card for that which is original or genuine.
(d) "Unlicensed sports trading card" means any card that is
produced for use in commerce, without proper licensing authority.
This definition specifically excludes cards which are bound in
publications.
(e) "Appropriate licensing authority" means express, written
permission to manufacture, produce, distribute, and sell the sports
trading card, as granted by the valid owner or owners of the
licensing rights of any image, work, term, name, symbol, logo, or
insignia that appears on the sports trading card.
21671. (a) Any sports trading card that is altered or refurbished
shall be accompanied by a certificate stating the exact work done to
the sports trading card, the date the work was performed, the cost of
that work, and the name, phone number, and address of the person who
performed the work.
(b) Any person or agent thereof, who knowingly sells or trades a
sports card in violation of subdivision (a), shall both:
(1) Refund to the buyer, the full amount paid for the altered or
refurbished sports trading card or the full retail value of any
nonmonetary consideration received in exchange for the altered or
refurbished sports trading card, or both.
(2) Be liable to the buyer for a civil penalty not to exceed five
thousand dollars ($5,000) for each violation. Each card sold
represents a separate and distinct violation.
21672. (a) Any person, or agent thereof, who knowingly
manufactures, produces, or distributes unlicensed or counterfeit
sports trading cards with the intent to deceive, injure, or defraud
another, is guilty of a misdemeanor.
Any person, or agent thereof, who violates this subdivision shall
do both of the following:
(1) Refund to the buyer the full amount paid for the unlicensed or
counterfeit sports trading card or the full retail value of any
nonmonetary consideration received in exchange for the unlicensed or
counterfeit sports trading card, or both.
(2) Be liable to the buyer for a civil penalty not to exceed five
thousand dollars ($5,000) for each violation. Each card sold
represents a separate and distinct violation.
(b) Any person who knowingly sells a cut, unlicensed sports
trading card that has been produced by cutting the card from a
publication in which unlicensed sports trading cards are bound,
without disclosing the source and the means of producing the card,
with the intent to deceive, injure, or defraud another, is guilty of
a misdemeanor.
Any person who violates this subdivision shall do both of the
following:
(1) Refund to the buyer the full consideration paid or furnished
for the cut, unlicensed sports trading card.
(2) Be liable to the buyer for a civil penalty not to exceed five
thousand dollars ($5,000) for each violation. Each card sold
represents a separate and distinct violation.
This provision does not apply to a sports trading card that is
excluded from the definition of "unlicensed sports trading card"
pursuant to subdivision (d) of Section 21670 of the Business and
Professions Code by reason of being bound in a publication.