U.S. Customs and Border Protection Import Specialists and Officers Seize over $782,000 in Counterfeit Camcorders, CD and MP3 Players
Written by Post Public Information Representative, Jan 11, 2012, 0 Comments
Courtesy U.S. Customs and Border Protection,
Laredo, Texas – The Import Specialist Enforcement Team (ISET) at U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Laredo Port of Entry targeted and seized 18,000 items, including digital camcorders with memory cards and car radios and parts that infringed on the Secure Digital or “SD” registered trademark valued at over $782,000 in two separate trademark enforcement actions.
In the first enforcement action, CBP import specialists from the Laredo ISET team targeted a manifested shipment of 15,000 items, including digital camcorders with memory cards, for an enforcement examination. CBP import specialists and officers conducted an examination at World Trade Bridge and discovered possible infringement on the SD trademark, which is trademark recorded with CBP. A determination was made that the camcorders bearing the SD trademark did not have the required legal authorization needed for the use of the SD trademark and the shipment was detained pending trademark infringement verification. CBP later determined the merchandise to be counterfeit and seized it.
In a second case, CBP import specialists from the Laredo ISET team targeted and detained a shipment containing more than 3,000 items, including CD players, MP3 players and spare parts (face plates, remote controls, connectors, brackets and integrated circuits) which also lacked the required documentation for the use of the SD recorded trademark. Trademark infringement verification by CBP revealed the merchandise to be counterfeit. All merchandise was seized.
The combined manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of both shipments, had the trademarks been genuine, is more than $782,000.
CBP’s vigilant enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights protects America ’s businesses against the threat of unfair and illicit competition from foreign companies and prevents goods that may be dangerous to consumers or national security from entering the United States .
“CBP’s Import Specialist Enforcement Team and CBP Officers detained and seized two significant shipments of goods that infringed on the SD trademark. Their astute targeting and vital work protects American consumers from potentially substandard merchandise infringing on legitimate trademarks,” said Sidney Aki, CBP port director, Laredo Port of Entry.
The Department of Homeland Security’s recent annual report on IPR seizure statistics documents the increasing illicit activity that CBP faces every day in the ports. In fiscal year 2011, DHS made 24,792 seizures with an MSRP of $1.1 billion. Goods from China accounted for 62 percent of all the goods seized and the number of potentially dangerous goods seized increased by 40 percent in fiscal year 2011 over fiscal year 2010.
