Washington — Speaking at the 2009 International Law Enforcement IP Crime Conference, Daniel Baldwin, U.S. Customs and Border Protection assistant commissioner for international trade, stressed the importance of international partnership in reducing the growing threat from counterfeit and piratical merchandise.
Baldwin said that global collaboration is what’s effective and what’s needed to attack the global problem of the trade in counterfeit goods. “The United States still sees intellectual property as a major priority. And we recognize that this global challenge cannot be solved without global cooperation and collaboration. The problem is huge. But there are lots of things we can accomplish together.”
Here are examples of CBP’s successful international collaboration to reduce illicit counterfeit trade globally.
In Operation Cisco Raider, CBP collaborated with our Canadian partners, particularly the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and with other U.S. government agencies—including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Department of Justice, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The target was the North American distribution of counterfeit [Cisco Systems] network hardware that was manufactured in China. The result of this initiative was more than 400 seizures of counterfeit Cisco network hardware and labels with an estimated retail value of more than $76 million. This joint effort effectively dismantled the North American supply chains for these counterfeit products from China.
CBP is working closely with the European Union to implement a five-point customs IPR action plan. In Operation Infrastructure, 360,000 semiconductors and computer network hardware components bearing 40 different trademarks were seized in a three-week period in November 2007. Counterfeit versions of these items pose health and safety risks to consumers, threatens advanced infrastructure, and undercut innovation.
The Governments/Authorities Meeting on Semiconductors in Korea last week was the first-ever meeting with customs authorities from all six major semiconductor producing economies to discuss the problems posed by trade in counterfeit semiconductor products.
“We recognize the huge value of our collaboration with the Canadians and the EU on these operations, and we are committed to expanding this type of cooperation. The lessons of these successes were very clear. As we move forward, we can help each other recognize and share information on global risks.”
In fiscal year 2008, the Department of Homeland Security made a record 14,992 IPR seizures with a domestic value of more than $272 million. This was a 10 percent increase in seizures and a 38 percent increase in value over fiscal year 2007.
The 2009 International Law Enforcement IP Crime Conference was held in Dublin, Ireland from September 29 to October 1. The event is co-hosted by INTERPOL, An Garda Síochána and the Police Service of Northern Ireland. Conference participants included customs officials, police, prosecutors, right holders, as well as investigators.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.
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