Customs Streamlines IPR Protection
The Obama administration is making it easier to protect intellectual-property rights, which includes apprehending counterfeit items and protecting trademarks.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection recently announced that trademark and copyright holders can now provide the agency product-identification guides electronically to help frontline inspectors spot fake goods and knockoffs and prevent them from entering the country.
“I encourage right holders to create their product-identification guide electronically, follow CBP’s guidelines and send it to us,” said Daniel Baldwin, assistant commissioner for CBP’s Office of International Trade. “With an electronic process in place, CBP is now capable of providing the information to CBP field personnel nationwide for immediate use in identifying suspect shipments.”
Before the new electronic system was announced on July 29, right holders provided hard copies of their product guides to training officers at CBP ports of entry. The new system makes these guides readily available to all CBP personnel involved in intellectual-property-rights enforcement.
A product-identification training guide should contain certain product information such as a description of the articles, including security devices, hangtags, logos, stitching, placement, packaging, accompanied documents and other information that would help a customs officer to readily distinguish a legitimate article from a suspect item. It is important to provide clearly labeled photos comparing genuine products with fake articles. Also, include a product catalog or website that shows pictures and model and style numbers.
For more information on what to include in the CBP training guide, go to the Customs and Border Protection website (www.cbp.gov) and download the IPR training guidelines from the right-hand column on the home page.—Deborah Belgum
