SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- US Customs and Border Protection Field Operations officers and import specialists seized in late August two fraudulent iPhone 6 cell phones among other counterfeit phones and cell phone accessories, infringing the intellectual property rights of Apple and Samsung.
The various courier consignments inspected by CBP officers at the San Juan Air Cargo facility revealed other fake products such as two Samsung Galaxy phones, and 319 iPhone cell phone panels.
“Counterfeiters have the audacity of selling fakes even before the new branded product makes its official unveiling,” said Marcelino Borges, director of Field Operations in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. “Our CBP field operations officers will continue to target and seizes imports of counterfeit and pirated goods, and enforce exclusion orders on patent-infringing and other IPR goods."
Consumers seek and purchase particular brands of products, believing that such brands have an intrinsic guarantee of their quality. Without a brand to protect, counterfeiters just seek to produce superficial quality products and take advantage of the loyalty that consumers have for a branded product. Poor quality products end up destroying the reputation of the copied brand, when it becomes impossible to distinguish the real product from a counterfeit.
CBP protects businesses and consumers every day through an aggressive IPR enforcement program. To effectively enforce intellectual property rights, Customs and Border Protection relies heavily on the cooperation of the owners of these rights.
If intellectual property is registered with the Patent and Trademark Office, the Copyright Office or the subject of a United States International Trade Commission exclusion order, CBP should be informed.
To record Intellectual Property Rights with CBP, please visit e-Recordation. Trade names must be recorded with CBP in order for us to determine trade name infringements.
If you are aware of or suspect a company or individual of infringing your trademark or copyright, please report the trade violation to e-Allegations Submission and provide the following information to Customs and Border Protection. Trade violations can also be reported by calling 1-800-BE-ALERT.
View more about the IPR Center and CBP’s border security mission at our nation’s ports of entry.