Right Side News Reports
Miami - U.S. Customs and Border Protection import specialists at Miami International Airport seized a shipment of counterfeit merchandise Tuesday. More than 25,000 shirts with a MSRP value of $5.7 million bearing trade marks of Armani, Dolce & Gabana, Dior and Hugo Boss were seized due to trademark violations.
CBP officers with the Trade Enforcement Team discovered the merchandise during a warehouse sweep of airline parcel shipments. The shipment, 212 cartons of bogus brand name shirts originated in China and were destined for the Dominican Republic.
"Our CBP officers are working diligently at our airports and seaports to protect businesses and consumers every day by combating the trade in counterfeit and pirated goods through an aggressive Intellectual Property Rights enforcement program," said Harold Woodward, Miami director of field operations.
National statistics:
- The domestic value of counterfeit goods seized for Intellectual Property Rights violations in fiscal year 2008 increased by 38.7 percent to $272.7 million and increase of more than $72 million from FY 2007.
- The number of IPR seizures increased almost 10 percent, from 13,657 to 14,992.
- China was the top trading partner for IPR seizures with a domestic value of counterfeit goods of $221 million, accounting for 81 percent of the total value.
- IPR seizures of products posing safety and security risks increased by more than 124 percent in domestic value, from $27.8 million to $62.5 million.
For more information on IPR issues, please visit the Intellectual Property Rights page on the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Web site. ( Intellectual Property Rights )
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.
