HUNTINGTON BEACH : Alleged Counterfeit Shirts Are Seized

State authorities have seized an estimated $200,000 worth of counterfeit B.U.M. T-shirts from a clothing designer here, the attorney general’s office said Thursday.

The 10,000 T-shirts with the B.U.M. trademark were seized Wednesday at University Jeanswear on Oceanus Drive, said Dave Genens, special agent in charge of the attorney general’s Bureau of Investigation.

The shop owner, Roger Mohlman, said Thursday that he was surprised by the seizure, adding that state investigators misunderstood why he had the T-shirts in his shop.

Mohlman said he had a contract with Shorebreak, a San Diego distributor of B.U.M., to make 48,000 of the trendy, loose-fitting shirts. During production, Mohlman said, Shorebreak canceled the order, leaving him with thousands of shirts that had no buyer.

“I just couldn’t afford to sue Shorebreak for breach of contract,” Mohlman said.

Mohlman said that when he talked to B.U.M representatives about the contract, they could not offer any help.

Mohlman, who said he does not have any quarrel with B.U.M., added, “You talk about David and Goliath, I’m David without the slingshot.”

Officials with Shorebreak could not be reached for comment late Thursday.

The attorney general’s office said Mohlman legally manufactures sportswear for the National Football League and National Hockey League, but has no legal agreement with B.U.M.