$637,000 of Counterfeit Goods Stopped by CBP Officers in Chicago - U.S. Customs & Border Protection
CHICAGO – On June 4, at Chicago O’Hare’s International Mail Facility, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers inspected a shipment manifested as ‘Fashion Sunglasses’ and found a lot more than pairs of glasses. The shipment instead contained sunglasses as well as designer socks and luxury brand watches, all deemed to be inauthentic and bearing counterfeit marks, by CBP’s Centers of Excellence and Expertise, the agency’s trade experts.
CBP officers examined the shipment to determine the admissibility of the goods and found 36 pairs of designer sunglasses bearing counterfeit trademarks of designers like Louis Vuitton, Versace, Chanel, and others. Officers also found 25 pairs of socks bearing counterfeit Gucci, Hermes, Louis Vuitton, and Dior trademarks.
Sunglasses and socks were not the only thing officers seized. Officers intercepted 22 watches bearing the counterfeit trademarks of Franck Muller, Patek Phillipe, Adidas, and Rolex. The shipment was arriving from Thailand and was heading to a residence in Bedford, Indiana. The merchandise would have been worth a total of almost $638,000, Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price, had the goods been genuine.
“CBP protects honest trade and hardworking businesses,” said LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, Director, Field Operations, Chicago Field Office. “Counterfeit goods defraud consumers and businesses. Our officers are dedicated to the CBP mission and work diligently for American consumers by stopping the flow of illegitimate and pirated merchandise.”
The rapid growth of e-commerce enables consumers to search for and easily purchase millions of products through online vendors, but this easy access gives counterfeit and pirated goods more ways to enter the U.S. economy. U.S. consumers spend more than $100 billion every year on intellectual property rights infringing goods, falling victim to approximately 20% of the counterfeits illegally sold worldwide. Counterfeit costume jewelry bearing famous brands such as Chanel, have been found to contain lead and other toxic materials which are dangerous to human health.
“Counterfeiters easily hide in plain sight on online marketplaces. They dupe shoppers into buying low quality and dangerous counterfeits online,” said Michael Pfeiffer, Chicago’s Acting Area Port Director. “CBP employees work tirelessly to protect our economy and consumers every day.”
CBP has established an educational initiative to raise consumer awareness about the consequences and dangers associated with purchasing counterfeit and pirated goods online or in stores. More information about this initiative is available at www.cbp.gov/fakegoodsrealdangers. To report suspected counterfeits, visit CBP’s online e-Allegations portal or call 1-800-BE-ALERT.
Brand owners wishing to partner with CBP to prevent the importation of counterfeit and substandard goods should visit https://iprr.cbp.gov/s/ for information about the e-Recordation program.
For more ways to protect yourself from counterfeit and pirated goods, visit https://www.stopfakes.gov/.
________________________________________________________________________________
Federal Register Notices:
• Antidumping or Countervailing Duty Investigations, Orders, or Reviews: Certain Cut-to-Length Carbon-Quality Steel Plate From India, Indonesia, and the Republic of Korea: Final Results of the Expedited Fourth Sunset Reviews of the Antidumping Duty Orders
• Gas Powered Pressure Washers From the People's Republic of China: Preliminary Affirmative Countervailing Duty Determination, Preliminary Affirmative Critical Circumstances Determination, in Part, and Alignment of Final Determination With Final Antidumping Duty Determination
• Certain Carbon and Alloy Steel Cut-to-Length Plate From Italy: Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review and Rescission in Part; 2021-2022
• Certain Lined Paper Products From India: Final Results of the Expedited Sunset Review of the Countervailing Duty Order
• Certain Steel Nails From the United Arab Emirates: Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review, and Partial Rescission; 2021-2022
• Certain Steel Racks and Parts Thereof From the People's Republic of China: Rescission of Countervailing Duty Administrative Review; 2021
• Investigations; Determinations, Modifications, and Rulings, etc.: Certain Pick-Up Truck Folding Bed Cover Systems and Components Thereof (III); Notice of Commission Determination Not To Review an Initial Determination Granting Complainants' Motion for Leave To Amend the Complaint and Notice of Investigation
• Antidumping or Countervailing Duty Investigations, Orders, or Reviews: Mattresses From Thailand: Preliminary Results, Preliminary Intent To Rescind, in Part, and Partial Rescission of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2020-2022
• Large Diameter Welded Pipe From Canada: Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review and Preliminary Determination of No Shipments; 2021-2022
• Pure Magnesium in Granular Form From the People's Republic of China: Final Results of Expedited Fourth Sunset Review of the Antidumping Duty Order
• Certain Hardwood Plywood Products From the People's Republic of China: Continuation of the Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Orders
• Large Diameter Welded Pipe From the Republic of Turkey: Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review and Preliminary Determination of No Shipments; 2021-2022
• Certain Carbon and Alloy Steel Cut-to-Length Plate From the Republic of Korea: Preliminary Results and Partial Rescission of Countervailing Duty Administrative Review; 2021
• Silicomanganese From India: Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2021-2022
• Truck and Bus Tires From the People's Republic of China: Notice of Court Decision Not in Harmony With the Final Determination of Antidumping Duty Investigation; Notice of Amended Order
• Non-Refillable Steel Cylinders From the People's Republic of China: Preliminary Results and Preliminary Determination of No Shipments of the Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2020-2022
• Mattresses From Indonesia: Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2020-2022
• Diffusion-Annealed, Nickel-Plated Flat-Rolled Steel Products From Japan: Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review, and Rescission, in Part; 2021-2022
• Aluminum Extrusions From the People's Republic of China: Final Results of Countervailing Duty Administrative Review; 2021
• Investigations; Determinations, Modifications, and Rulings, etc.: Certain Electronic Devices, Semiconductor Devices, and Components Thereof; Notice of Commission Determination Not To Review an Initial Determination To Withdraw the Complaint and Terminate the Investigation With Respect to the Remaining Respondents; Termination of Investigation
• Carbon and Alloy Seamless Standard, Line, and Pressure Pipe From Japan and Romania
• Lined Paper School Supplies From China and India; Scheduling of Expedited Five-Year Reviews
• Paper Shopping Bags From Cambodia, China, Colombia, India, Malaysia, Portugal, Taiwan, Turkey, and Vietnam; Institution of Anti-Dumping and Countervailing Duty Investigations and Scheduling of Preliminary Phase Investigations
• Cut-to-Length Carbon-Quality Steel Plate (CTL Plate) From India, Indonesia, and South Korea; Scheduling of Expedited Five-Year Reviews
• Antidumping or Countervailing Duty Investigations, Orders, or Reviews: Large Diameter Welded Pipe From the Republic of Korea: Preliminary Results and Partial Rescission of the Countervailing Duty Administrative Review; 2021
• Circular Welded Carbon Steel Standard Pipe and Tube Products From Turkey: Preliminary Results and Partial Rescission of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2021-2022
• Honey From the People's Republic of China: Final Results of the Expedited Fourth Sunset Review of the Antidumping Duty Order
• Investigations; Determinations, Modifications, and Rulings, etc.: Certain Automated Put Walls and Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems, Associated Vehicles, Associated Control Software, and Component Parts Thereof Notice of Commission Determination To Review in Part a Final Initial Determination Finding a Violation of Section 337; Schedule for Filing Written Submissions on Remedy, The Public Interest, and Bonding
• Certain Power Semiconductors, and Mobile Devices and Computers Containing Same; Notice of Request for Submissions on the Public Interest
• Certain Fitness Devices, Streaming Components Thereof, and Systems Containing Same; Institution of Rescission Proceeding; Issuance of Order Rescinding Remedial Orders as to a Respondent; Termination of Rescission Proceeding
• Pure Granular Magnesium From China; Scheduling of an Expedited Five-Year Review
• Fine Denier Polyester Staple Fiber From the People's Republic of China, India, the Republic of South Korea, and Taiwan: Final Results of Expedited First Sunset Reviews of the Antidumping Duty Orders
• Fine Denier Polyester Staple Fiber From India: Final Results of the Expedited First Sunset Review of the Countervailing Duty Order
• Paper File Folders From China, India, and Vietnam; Scheduling of the Final Phase of Countervailing Duty and Anti-Dumping Duty Investigations
• Antidumping or Countervailing Duty Investigations, Orders, or Reviews: Steel Concrete Reinforcing Bar From Mexico: Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2020-2021
• Certain Polyester Staple Fiber From the People's Republic of China: Final Results of the Expedited Third Sunset Review of the Antidumping Duty Order
• Circular Welded Non-Alloy Steel Pipe From the Republic of Korea: Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review and Final Determination of No Shipments; 2020-2021
• Circular Welded Carbon Steel Pipes and Tubes From Thailand: Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2021-2022
• Certain Cut-to-Length Carbon-Quality Steel Plate From India, Indonesia, and the Republic of Korea: Final Results of Expedited Fourth Sunset Reviews of Countervailing Duty Orders
• Welded Stainless Pressure Pipe From India: Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2020-2021________________________________________________________________________________
Wilmington, Delaware CBP Reports First Local Interception of Citrus Weevil Species - U.S. Customs & Border Protection
WILMINGTON, Delaware – Citrus weevils may be small, but they pose a serious threat, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists intercepted a species of citrus weevil never reported before in Wilmington, Delaware.
CBP agriculture specialists discovered the weevil on May 22 while inspecting a shipment of pineapples from Honduras. Specialists safeguarded the shipment and submitted images of the specimen to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) entomologist. The entomologist identified the specimen as Cleistolophus viridimargo Champion, 1911 (Curculionidae), a significant actionable pest. The entomologist also reported that this species was a first-time interception for the Port of Wilmington.
Today, experts at the USDA national pest identifier database confirmed that the Cleistolophus viridimargo Champion, 1911 (Curculionidae) is a first-in-port discovery.
Cleistolophus viridimargo Champion, 1911 (Curculionidae) is a species of citrus root weevil known to occur in Honduras and other Central America locations. Adults feed on the citrus tree or plant while their larvae feed on the root systems, and could potentially damage a $3.4 billion U.S. citrus industry (see USDA Citrus Fruits 2020 Summary).
CBP offered the importer mitigation options and the importer chose to fumigate the entire shipment.
“Customs and Border Protection’s agriculture protection mission is vital to our nation’s economic health, and this first-in-port discovery is evidence of our agriculture specialists’ tireless efforts to intercept potentially dangerous invasive pests,” said Erik Kelling, Acting Port Director for CBP’s Port of Wilmington. “CBP remains steadfastly committed to ensuring our agriculture industries remain vibrant by intercepting hitchhiking invasive insects, and also noxious weeds and animal diseases when we encounter them at our nation’s international ports of entry.”
CBP agriculture specialists have extensive training and experience in the biological sciences and agricultural inspection, and they inspect tens of thousands of international air passengers, and air and sea cargoes being imported to the United States. They are on our nation’s frontlines to ensure our nation’s economic resilience by protecting our critical agricultural resources.
During a typical day last year, CBP agriculture specialists across the nation seized 2,677 prohibited plant, meat, animal byproducts, and soil, and intercepted 240 insect pests at U.S. ports of entry. Read what else CBP accomplished during "A Typical Day" in 2022.
CBP's border security mission is led at our nation’s Ports of Entry by CBP officers and agriculture specialists from the Office of Field Operations. CBP screens international travelers and cargo and searches for illicit narcotics, unreported currency, weapons, counterfeit consumer goods, prohibited agriculture, invasive weeds and pests, and other illicit products that could potentially harm the American public, U.S. businesses, and our nation’s safety and economic vitality.
________________________________________________________________________________
U.S. Baled Cotton Now Can Enter Bangladesh Without Fumigation on Arrival - U.S. Department of Agriculture
Washington, June 1, 2023 – Bangladesh’s government has removed a significant trade barrier for U.S. cotton exports, no longer requiring upon-arrival fumigation of baled cotton coming into the country from the United States, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reports.
Removing the fumigation requirement is the result of decades of hard work by USDA and the U.S. cotton industry. This important U.S. export market was valued at more than $475 million last year and has the potential to increase with this removal of the fumigation trade barrier.
Under the new regulations, U.S. baled cotton can now be exported to Bangladesh with a phytosanitary certificate and an additional declaration stating that the cotton is free from boll weevil.
Bangladesh is the world’s second-largest exporter of ready-made garments, and its garment industry relies on imported cotton, including high-quality, sustainably produced U.S. cotton. Bangladeshi importers were previously paying more than $1 million annually for fumigation of U.S. cotton.
Bangladesh’s removal of the upon-arrival fumigation rule results from strides in pest eradication and prevention developed and implemented by USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the U.S. cotton industry. Cotton pests, like the boll weevil, have been a challenge since the late 1800s. USDA’s national cooperative boll weevil eradication program is considered to be one of the most consequential agricultural programs in U.S. history due to its effectiveness, with federal and state agencies and the cotton industry successfully eradicating this pest from more than 98 percent of U.S. cotton acreage.
USDA formally requested Bangladesh remove the fumigation requirement in 2017, based on U.S. industry practices, supporting research, and risk analysis. Subsequently, representatives from APHIS’ Plant Protection and Quarantine program and USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) in Dhaka and Washington engaged with Bangladeshi officials via meetings, letters, phone calls, and site visits to the United States, partnering with the U.S. cotton industry to provide scientific information and field demonstrations verifying that there is no risk of boll weevil on U.S. baled cotton.
The Bangladesh Ministry of Agriculture announced the change May 16, and it is effective immediately. The revised regulation was published May 17 and an unofficial translation from the FAS Office of Agricultural Affairs in Dhaka is available at: https://www.fas.usda.gov/data/bangladesh-removes-fumigation-arrival-requirement-us-cotton.
________________________________________________________________________________
FTC Will Require Microsoft to Pay $20 million over Charges it Illegally Collected Personal Information from Children without Their Parents’ Consent - Federal Trad Commission
Proposed order will require Microsoft to bolster protections for children; makes clear that avatars and biometric and health data are protected under COPPA
Microsoft will pay $20 million to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that it violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) by collecting personal information from children who signed up to its Xbox gaming system without notifying their parents or obtaining their parents’ consent, and by illegally retaining children’s personal information.
“Our proposed order makes it easier for parents to protect their children’s privacy on Xbox, and limits what information Microsoft can collect and retain about kids,” said Samuel Levine, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “This action should also make it abundantly clear that kids’ avatars, biometric data, and health information are not exempt from COPPA.”
As part of a proposed order filed by the Department of Justice on behalf of the FTC, Microsoft will be required to take several steps to bolster privacy protections for child users of its Xbox system. For example, the order will extend COPPA protections to third-party gaming publishers with whom Microsoft shares children’s data. In addition, the order makes clear that avatars generated from a child’s image, and biometric and health information, are covered by the COPPA Rule when collected with other personal data. The order must be approved by a federal court before it can go into effect.
The COPPA Rule requires online services and websites directed to children under 13 to notify parents about the personal information they collect and to obtain verifiable parental consent before collecting and using any personal information collected from children. According to a complaint also filed by DOJ, Microsoft violated the COPPA Rule’s notice, consent and data retention requirements.
Microsoft’s Xbox gaming products allow users to play and chat with other players through its Xbox Live service. To access and play games on an Xbox console or use any of the other Xbox Live features, users must create an account, which requires users to provide personal information including their first and last name, email address and their date of birth. Even when a user indicated that they were under 13, they were also asked, until late 2021, to provide additional personal information including a phone number and to agree to Microsoft’s service agreement and advertising policy, which until 2019 included a pre-checked box allowing Microsoft to send promotional messages and to share user data with advertisers, according to the complaint.
It wasn’t until after users provided this personal information that Microsoft required anyone who indicated they were under 13 to involve their parent. The child’s parent then had to complete the account creation process before the child could get their own account. According to the complaint, from 2015-2020 Microsoft retained the data—sometimes for years—that it collected from children during the account creation process, even when a parent failed to complete the process. COPPA prohibits retaining personal information about children for longer than is reasonably necessary to fulfill the purpose for which it was collected.
After a child makes an account, they can create a profile that will include their “gamertag,” which is the primary identifier visible to the user and other Xbox Live users, and can also upload a picture or include an avatar, which is a figure or image that represents the user. According to the complaint, Microsoft combined this information with a unique persistent identifier it creates for each account holder, even children, and could share this information with third-party game and app developers. Microsoft allowed—by default—all users, including children to play third-party games and apps while using Xbox Live, requiring parents to take additional steps to opt out if they don’t want their children to access them.
According to the complaint, Microsoft failed to fully comply with COPPA’s notice provisions. For example, Microsoft failed to disclose to parents all the information it collected, such as a child’s profile picture.
In addition to the monetary penalty, Microsoft will be required under the proposed order to:
• Inform parents who have not created a separate account for their child that doing so will provide additional privacy protections for their child by default;
• Obtain parental consent for accounts created before May 2021 if the account holder is still a child;
• Establish and maintain systems to delete, within two weeks from the collection date, all personal information that it collects from children for the purposes of obtaining parental consent if it has not obtained parental consent and to delete all other personal data collected from children after it is no longer necessary to fulfill the purpose for which it was collected; and
• Notify video game publishers when it discloses personal information from children that the user is a child, which will require the publishers to apply COPPA’s protections to that child.
The Commission voted 3-0 to refer the complaint and proposed federal order to the Department of Justice. The DOJ filed the complaint and stipulated order in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington state.
NOTE: The Commission authorizes the filing of a complaint when it has “reason to believe” that the named defendant is violating or is about to violate the law and it appears to the Commission that a proceeding is in the public interest. Stipulated orders have the force of law when approved and signed by the District Court judge.
The lead FTC attorneys on this matter are Megan Cox and Peder Magee from the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.
This is the Commission’s third COPPA action within the last few weeks, following an announcement in mid-May against ed tech provider Edmodo and one last week involving Amazon.
________________________________________________________________________________
CPSC Warns Consumers to Immediately Stop Using Fire Extinguisher Balls Due to Failure to Extinguish Fires and Risk of Serious Injury or Death; Sold on Amazon.com - Consumer Product Safety Commission
Washington, D.C. -- The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is warning consumers about the risk of burns and smoke inhalation associated with the use of LVYXON, TATTCHINE, ARMYJY, PETSTIBLE, HelloPharma, Vixuiyz, and JHEUAYK brand fire extinguisher balls sold on Amazon.com. These products can fail to extinguish a fire, which could lead to serious injury and death.
Specifically, the identified products can fail to properly disperse fire suppressing chemicals and fail to extinguish a fire. In addition, the products do not have a pressure gauge or pressure indicator, a locking device to reduce the risk of unintentional discharge, a self-closing valve for intermittent discharge, or a nozzle to direct the discharge. These products fail to meet the requirements of UL 299 Dry Chemical Fire Extinguishers, UL 711 Rating and Fire Testing of Fire Extinguishers, and NFPA 10 Standard for Portable Fire Extinguishers which are voluntary safety standards.
The fire extinguisher balls were sold to consumers on Amazon.com. They are made of red plastic, with an approximate diameter ranging between 4 and 7 inches. They weigh between 1 and 3 pounds. The products also include a stand that can be mounted to the wall. The products typically have a label wrapped around the entire product with orange and red lettering stating Fire Extinguisher Ball and XRT Auto Fire Off or AFO Auto Fire Off. The fire extinguisher balls were sold on Amazon.com for between $25 and $120. LVYXON was sold under ASINs B0BCPL2QY8 and B0BCPH6M9L. TATTCHINE was sold under ASINs B0BCYXZ5H9 and B0BCYWR1VH. ARMYJY was sold under ASIN B0BB6Y1JQQ. PETSTIBLE was sold under ASINs B0BD3RL3K9 and B0BD3T4BNX. HelloPharma was sold under ASIN B09YNKKKM2. Vixuiyz was sold under ASIN B09YRRL241. JHEUAYK was sold under ASINs B0BCQ121VL and B0BCWR36DQ.
CPSC urges consumers not to purchase or sell these fire extinguisher balls. Consumers should stop using them and dispose of these products at either a local fire department or a hazardous waste disposal facility. Consumers should only purchase fire extinguishers that meet both the UL 299 and UL 711 safety standards and are marked with those certifications.
Report a dangerous product or a product-related injury on www.SaferProducts.gov.
Individual Commissioners may have statements related to this topic.
Please visit www.cpsc.gov/commissioners to search for statements related to this or other topics.