Protecting Intellectual Property Rights: A Priority Trade Issue for the United States
December 13, 2010, 07:20 PM
S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has designated intellectual property rights enforcement as a Priority Trade Issue (PTI). Counterfeit goods imported into the U.S. pose safety concerns to end-user customers and cause huge economic losses to legitimate U.S. businesses. CBP is committed to seizing counterfeit goods at U.S. borders. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as the largest investigative agency of the Department of Homeland Security, also plays a large role in preventing the import of counterfeit goods. In 2009, CBP and ICE were responsible for 14,841 seizures of counterfeit and pirated goods, the value of which totaled over $260.7 million. Since the beginning of 2010, CBP has seized over $3 million in counterfeit goods at just one port in Savannah, Georgia. To assist CBP and ICE in their efforts to keep counterfeit goods out of the U.S. market, businesses can submit a product identification guide to CBP. This guide should include company information, all brands, marks, copyrights, and patents that the company owns and the corresponding registration and recordation information, detailed product information, manufacturers of genuine goods, distribution channels, and information on known violators. –R. Ellen Coley
Although we encourage you to contact us if you have a legal matter requiring attention, any information you communicate to us by e-mail will not be assumed of confidential treatment until we agree that there is an attorney-client relationship between us. Nor will any communication between us establish such a relationship, unless and until we specially agree to serve as your attorneys, which we will not be able to do if you communicate with us by e-mail in connection with a matter for which we already represent you. You should be aware that the security of Internet e-mail is uncertain. By sending confidential or sensitive e-mail messages which are not encrypted you accept the risks of such uncertainty and possible lack of confidentiality over the Internet.
Although we encourage you to contact us if you have a legal matter requiring attention, any information you communicate to us by e-mail will not be assumed of confidential treatment until we agree that there is an attorney-client relationship between us. Nor will any communication between us establish such a relationship, unless and until we specially agree to serve as your attorneys, which we will not be able to do if you communicate with us by e-mail in connection with a matter for which we already represent you. You should be aware that the security of Internet e-mail is uncertain. By sending confidential or sensitive e-mail messages which are not encrypted you accept the risks of such uncertainty and possible lack of confidentiality over the Internet.
