Anti-Piracy Seizure Information
Indiana | New York | Virginia | Singapore
Indiana
April 27 and 29, 2022 – In late April, Indianapolis-based U.S. CBP officers intercepted two shipments of Rolex brand watches that its Centers of Excellence and Expertise team found to be counterfeit. Both counterfeit Rolex watch shipments came from Hong Kong and were being shipped to a Brooklyn, New York residence. From the agency’s prior intelligence and past history of this vendor’s fraudulent merchandise shipments, officers seized and inspected the products. Inside the two packages, they found 300 and 160 counterfeit Rolex watches. Had these been the real deal, they would have been worth $10.1 million. In the month of April, the Indianapolis CBP seized three shipments of fake watches with a retail value, if real, of $20 million.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection – May 2, 2022
New York
April 8, 2022 – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Alexandria Bay, New York, at the Port of Entry, seized fake designer scarves with the Louis Vuitton trademark, on suspected trademark violations. If they were genuine, they would have been worth $285,000. A total of 588 counterfeit scarves were seized when CBP found that the merchandise violated intellectual property rights.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection – April 8, 2022
Virginia
May 16, 2022 – At the Port of Norfolk, U.S. CBP officers seized suspected counterfeit luxury designer dresses, slips and shawls, due to trademark violations. The 1,120 clothing garments, purporting to be from designers like Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Apple, were found to indeed be fake by CBP experts and were seized for violating the companies’ intellectual property rights (IPR). Had the counterfeit clothes been genuine, they would have been worth more than $2 million dollars in the retail marketplace.
According to the CBP, jewelry, apparel, handbags, footwear, watches, wallets and consumer electronics are the most frequently counterfeited items, often sold at flea markets and by online sellers.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection – May 16, 2022
Singapore
April 14, 2022 – Criminal Investigation Department officers raided a Clementi Avenue street market and an Ang Mo Kio residence, seizing more than 2,400 items of counterfeit clothing. They arrested a woman who was believed to be selling these fake goods, which would be trademark infringement. The apparel had an estimated retail value, if real, of S$62,000 (approximately U.S. $46,776). Police are continuing their investigations. In Singapore, those found guilty of infringing upon intellectual property rights can be fined up to S$100,000 (U.S. $75,422) and/or jailed for as long as five years.