Not
surprisingly, fashion merchandise had the highest figures (measured by the
manufacturer’s suggested retail price or “MSRP”) in terms of counterfeit and
pirated goods that importers, large and small, attempted to bring in to the US which were
seized at the border last year.
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Handbags/wallets
were the top category at 40%, watches/jewelry came in at “second place” at 15%
and wearing apparel/accessories rounded out the top 3 categories at 11%, for a
total of 66% of all seized commodities.
These same categories were the 2011 top three types of merchandise as well,
albeit at a smaller cumulative figure of 45%.
US Customs
is the agency responsible for protecting intellectual property (“IP”) rights
holders and American consumers from IP theft on goods entering the
country. Pirated and counterfeit goods
pose a threat to America’s economic vitality and the health and safety of its
consumers.
Other
victims include those whose identities are stolen in the pursuit of con artists
attempting to get their counterfeit imports into the US, and who therefore
disguise themselves as legitimate businesses and even hold themselves out as
that entity when handling transactions.
These victims can include customs brokers, importers and other
participants in the international trade supply chain.
An additional less visible victim are the children who end up being the labor behind these imitation products.The internet has fueled the explosive growth of small packages of pirated and counterfeit merchandise shipped through express carriers, like FedEX or DHL (unbeknownst to them, of course), and the mail. Not only is US Customs stopping these shipments at the border but they are also participating in the shutdown of websites that are involved in the trafficking of these goods.
Know someone
who buys fakes? You may want to give
them a word of advice – DON’T!
Questions/comments? Post below or email me at fashioncompliance@gmail.com
Keep up with me:
On Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/FashionCompliance
On YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/fashioncompliance
On Tumblr: http://fashioncompliance.tumblr.com/
On Twitter @fashcompliance https://twitter.com/fashcompliance
