In fiscal 2007 the bad guys continued their efforts to sneak counterfeit products in to the United States. The good guys, in response, stepped up their efforts to stem the illegal trade. When all was said and done, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported seizing counterfeit or pirated products worth approximately $200 million in domestic value in fiscal 2007. (Domestic value is the cost of making the illegal goods in a foreign country, plus the shipping and other costs required to bring the merchandise in to the U.S. This value is lower than the manufacturer's retail price.)
Two DHS departments -- the U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) -- made more than 13,600 seizures last year, the government said. Additional details include:
241 number of arrests resulting from ICE investigations of intellectual
property rights violations
149 number of indictments on intellectual property rights violations resulting from ICE investigations
134 number of convictions on intellectual property rights violations resulting from ICE investigations
40 percentage of value of goods seized represented by footwear
Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security
See Also
