Intellectual property security

'Buyer Beware!' Counterfeit goods and the holiday shopping season

Just in time for Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the rest of the holiday shopping season, two federal law enforcement agencies offered a joint media event Tuesday in New York to highlight counterfeit goods and consumer awareness.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) hosted a presentation about goods with fake trademarks and how consumers can protect themselves. 

“We know there are consumers who knowingly purchase knock-offs,” said Angel M. Melendez, special agent in charge of HSI New York. “To them I say, counterfeiting is not a victimless crime. It not only threatens our national security by endangering the health and safety of consumers, it also wreaks havoc on our economy and funds criminal elements involved in other illegal activities.”

In 2015, the number of seizures made nationally due to Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) violations increased 25 percent from the previous year, totaling more than 28,000 seizures with an estimated value of more than $1.3 billion.