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U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) keeps foreign pirated and counterfeit goods from being imported into the United States. CBP’s Intellectual Property Rights Resource Center provides resource and guidance materials that contain different types of information pertaining to Intellectual Property Rights (IPR).

A company can protect its trademark or copyright by registering it with the CBP’s e-Recordation Program. Patents holders do not directly record their patents with CBP for border enforcement protection; however, they may be entitled to exclusion of infringing imports into United States under Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930.

To report alleged illegal importation to CPB, contact the IPR and E-Commerce Division at IPRHELPDESK@cbp.dhs.gov.

Additional resources on CBP enforcement of intellectual property rights include:

Best Practices

IPR Seizure Statistics