U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Louisville seized two shipments from Hong Kong recently. The shipments contained a total of 53 counterfeit watches. Had these goods been genuine, the two shipments would have had a combined Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price of $6.6 million.
Both shipments were inspected by officers and subsequently seized for bearing unauthorized versions of Richard Mille, Rolex, Hublot, Cartier, Swarovski, G-Shock, and Patek Philippe trademarks. The items were deemed to bear counterfeit marks by CBP’s Centers of Excellence and Expertise, the agency’s trade experts.
The shipments were addressed to residences in Union City, Georgia and Doral, Florida. The items have been turned over to Homeland Security Investigations for further inspection.
For the last three years, the top commodities seized for Intellectual Property Rights infringement with the highest total MSRP have been (1) Jewelry, (2) Watches, and (3) Handbags/Wallets. Additionally, China and Hong Kong are consistently the top two source countries for IPR seizures. In Fiscal Year 2024, seizures from China and Hong Kong accounted for approximately 90% of the total quantity seized…