(Caribbean news now) Puerto Rico – US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) field operations officers completed the seizure of 10,000 counterfeit toy dolls arriving in Puerto Rico in a shipment from China. The estimated domestic value of the shipment is $41,250.
CBP officers inspected a container whose contents appeared to be non-compliant with US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) requirements. CBP import specialists examined samples of the items that were determined to be counterfeit. Fake toys take unfair advantage of recognized brands sought out by consumers.
“This high value seizure is one of many successes marking CBP’s longstanding commitment to combating importation of illicit merchandise bearing counterfeit trademarks in San Juan,” said Edward Ryan, assistant director of Field Operations for Trade in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. “Our CBP officers and import specialists are committed to preventing counterfeit goods from entering the commerce of the United States.”
In fiscal year 2015, the San Juan field office seized 287 shipments for violations of intellectual property rights (IPR), with a combined domestic value of $747,416.
Trade in these illegitimate goods is associated with smuggling and other criminal activities, and often funds criminal enterprises. CBP protects businesses and consumers every day through an aggressive IPR enforcement program
CBP targets and seizes imports of counterfeit and pirated goods, and enforces exclusion orders on patent-infringing and other IPR violative goods.
The flow of counterfeit and pirated goods is a global problem that requires vigorous collaboration between customs agencies and rights owners to ensure effective intellectual property enforcement at the border. Working with CBP provides many benefits for rights owners of patents, copyrights, and trademarks to ensure maximum intellectual property rights protection.