U.S. IPR seizures increased 34% in 2010

U.S. IPR seizures increased 34% in 2010    Counterfeit and pirated shipments seized in fiscal year 2010 climbed 34 percent to 19,959, according to statistics released last week by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
   Seizures of products that could have harmed consumers, critical infrastructure and national security jumped 97 percent over 2009 due to heightened enforcement activity in this area and accounted for 23 percent of all intellectual property rights seizures by domestic value.
   The total domestic value of the fake goods seized last year totaled $188.1 million, a 27 percent drop from $260.6 million in 2009. The estimated manufacturer's suggested retail price, or the value the goods would have had if they had been the real thing, totaled $1.4 billion.
   The two agencies attributed the drop in value of IPR seizures to increased use of high-volume, low-value express consignments and mail shipments to smuggle fake and pirated goods into the country. The number of IPR seizures that occurred at express consignment or mail facilities in 2010 rose 42 percent due to more Web sites that sell unauthorized goods, consumers seeking lower priced goods because of economic hardship, better IPR product identification training and education of law enforcement specialists by rights holders, and stepped up enforcement by CBP and ICE.
   China for the 10th year running continued to be the No. 1 source of counterfeit and pirated goods seized, accounting for two-thirds, or $124.6 million of the total domestic value of seizures.
   Counterfeit goods refer to products that are made to look like authorized or licensed versions from the original manufacturer. Piracy involves the unauthorized reproduction or use of a copyrighted or trademarked product.
   Businesses are concerned about the lost sales they suffer from theft of their intellectual property and governments worry about the safety of fake goods and proceeds going to support organized crime.
   For the fifth year in a row, footwear was the top product seized, accounting for more than 24 percent of the entire domestic value of IPR-infringing goods.
   The top 10 categories of IPR-infringing products seized were:
   ' Footwear.
   ' Consumer electronics.
   ' Wearing apparel.
   ' Handbags/wallets.
   ' Optical media.
   ' Computers/hardware.
   ' Cigarettes.
   ' Watches.
   ' Jewelry.
   ' Pharmaceuticals.
   The Department of Homeland Security's full report on IPR seizures can be found here.