U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) seized nearly 25,000 counterfeit and pirated goods in fiscal year 2011—a 24% increase from the previous year. The value of the seizures actually decreased by 5%, totaling $179 million for fiscal year 2011. The high-volume/lower-value differential was attributed to an increase in express courier and consolidated shipments and the growth of websites selling counterfeit goods directly to consumers.
The top 10 categories of counterfeit products seized were consumer electronics, footwear, pharmaceuticals, optical media, apparel, perfume/cologne, watches, cigarettes, toys/electronic games, auto parts and all other commodities. China continues to be the primary-source country for counterfeit and pirated goods seized, accounting for 62% or $125 million of the total domestic value of seizures.
With respect to auto parts, SEMA hosted an industry roundtable meeting at the SEMA Show to discuss a newly emerging problem of websites selling counterfeit high-performance auto products and shipping them via express courier or mail. The meeting was an opportunity to gather and share information in order to address the problem.
For further information about the meeting or the CBP/ICE report, please contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org.