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US customs officials have seized goods mimicking branded goods such as Disney, BMW, Samsung and Beats by Dre.
The goods, shipped from online vendors in China and Hong Kong, were uncovered by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers working in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
According to a release dated August 14, the courier consignments contained counterfeit speakers, car beepers, iPhone parts, mobile phone front screens, USB cables and wrist watches.
“The trade in these illegitimate goods is associated with smuggling and other criminal activities, and often funds criminal enterprises,” said area port director Juan Hurtado. “Protecting intellectual property rights remains a CBP priority trade issue.”
CBP openly admits enforcing IP aggressively, targeting and seizing fake and pirated imports, and enforcing exclusion orders on patent-infringing goods.
But to do this it relies heavily on the cooperation of IP owners, and it said companies that have registered their rights with the US Patent and Trademark Office or the Copyright Office “will want to inform CBP”.
Earlier this year, San Juan-based CBP officers revealed they had seized counterfeit Brazil, Argentina and Italy football shirts sent from Hong Kong during the football World Cup in Brazil. The goods infringed the brands of Puma, Adidas and Nike, the respective sponsors of Italy, Argentina and Brazil.
Disney; BMW; counterfeit; US Customs and Border Protection
