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Thursday, November 7, 2024

CBP Officers in Minneapolis Intercept Counterfeit Car Sensors

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Minneapolis recently stopped two shipments that contained 300 counterfeit General Motors (GM) Brand Tire-Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS).

On May 30, CBP officers inspected a shipment arriving from Hong Kong to determine the admissibility of the shipment and its contents. Based on intelligence gathering and experience, officers suspected the sensors were counterfeit. Officers reached out to GM’s Global Brand Protection Investigator-Global Security to determine if these items were indeed counterfeit. Within 24 hours GM confirmed that they were. The items were officially seized on June 13. The 300 sensors were heading to a residence in Brooklyn Park, and the total Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) would have been $28,500, had they been genuine.

“Our officers are not only protecting the integrity of the American economy through trademark enforcement, but they are also securing manufacturing supply chains by preventing potentially dangerous products from being installed on your car,” said LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, Director, Field Operations-Chicago Field Office. “This underscores how counterfeiters completely disregard human lives and their safety while padding their bank accounts.”

TPMS monitors the air pressure inside vehicle tires. The goal of TPMS is to avoid traffic accidents, eliminate poor fuel economy, and decreases tire wear due to under-inflated tires.

“CBP is focused on identifying and intercepting these types of unsafe products from entering the U.S. The enforcement of trade laws at U.S. ports of entry remains a high priority for us,” said Augustine Moore, Port Director-Minneapolis. “Our officers are committed to detecting, intercepting, and seizing prohibited goods, which protects consumers and our economy.”

When rights holders record their federally registered trademarks and copyrights with CBP, the agency can enforce those rights to protect them at the border and ports of entry. As of September 30, 2021, CBP enforced approximately 20,758 active recorded copyrights and trademarks. In FY2021, CBP seized over 27,000 shipments with Intellectual Property Right (IPR) violations. If the seized products were genuine, the total MSRP of the items would have been valued at over $3.3 billion. This represents a 152% increase compared to FY2020, when goods valued at $1.31 billion MSRP were seized for IPR violations. A return to pre-pandemic trading levels and an overall increase in the number of CBP seizures of counterfeit products account for the significant rise in MSRP.

Read more at CBP

SourceCBP
Homeland Security Today
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The Government Technology & Services Coalition's Homeland Security Today (HSToday) is the premier news and information resource for the homeland security community, dedicated to elevating the discussions and insights that can support a safe and secure nation. A non-profit magazine and media platform, HSToday provides readers with the whole story, placing facts and comments in context to inform debate and drive realistic solutions to some of the nation’s most vexing security challenges.

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