CBP/ICE Release Annual Report on Counterfeit Goods Seized

Thursday, January 08, 2009 at 6:54 p.m.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced today fiscal year 2008 seizures totaled more than $272.7 million in counterfeit and pirated goods, a 38 percent increase in domestic value over FY 2007.

The statistics reveal a dramatic rise in seizures of counterfeit products potentially threatening the health, safety and security of Americans and reflect the emphasis CBP and ICE have put on protecting the United States from the dangers of these products.

Among the products seized for intellectual property rights (IPR) violations that might also pose health, safety or security risks were electrical articles, semiconductors, computer network hardware, sunglasses, pharmaceuticals and perfume.

The domestic value of such seizures jumped more than 120 percent to $62.5 million and the number of these seizures climbed 50 percent to 1,950.

In FY 2007, CBP and ICE made 1,295 seizures of potentially dangerous counterfeit goods valued at almost $28 million.

“The hard work of the men and women of CBP and our close partnerships with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Food and Drug Administration and the Consumer Product Safety Commission have made a significant impact on our ability to protect intellectual property rights at our borders,â€