Davidson Law Group, P.A.

On March 14, 2017, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Field Operations, at the Charleston seaport, seized an estimated $1.1 million in counterfeit mobile phone accessories originating from China, including phone cases, chargers, cables, and headphones. The phone accessories unlawfully bore images and markings from companies such as Apple, USB, Bluetooth, Blu-Ray, LG, and Hello Kitty. The importation of these accessories was found to be unauthorized and in vi

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at the Savannah Port of Entry seized 591 cartons of pistol magazines bearing the Glock trademark. The value of the seized merchandise was approximately $2 million. The importation of the magazines with the Glock trademark on the packaging was found to be unauthorized and in violation of the registered trademark. If you are currently importing or are considering importing products which bear a registered trademark, contact Davidson Law

On February 8, 2017, the U.S. Government Accountability Office’s (GAO’s) issued a report regarding supply chain security and member benefits under the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism Program (C-TPAT). Click here to read the full report. The C-TPAT Program is a voluntary program in which Customs and Border Protection (CBP) validate members' supply chain security practices to ensure that they meet the C-TPAT’s minimum security criteria. In return, members are eligi

With Super Bowl XLIX approaching, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center), Houston Police Department and the National Football League (NFL), joined forces to combat the distribution of counterfeit Super Bowl related items. The joint effort resulted in the seizure of over C counterfeit sports-related items including, but not limited to, counterfeit jerseys, h

On January 20, 2017, a Missouri woman was sentenced in federal court for selling more than $90 million worth of counterfeit cell phone components including, but not limited to, replacement screens, lithium batteries, weight scales, phone cases and internal circuitry, to consumers in person and over the Internet. The cell phone components were manufactured by legitimate companies – including Apple, Samsung, LG, Microsoft, Android, Dell, Blackberry, ASUS, Acer, Kindle, HTC, Mot

The Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) is a voluntary supply chain security program led by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Since its inception in November 2001, more than 11,400 certified partners have been accepted into the program. When a company joins the C-TPAT program, an agreement is made to work with CBP to protect the supply chain, identify security gaps, and implement specific security measures and best practices. C-TPAT Partners enjoy a

As part of its new Regulatory Audit procedure, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has begun issuing “informed compliance notifications” to importers via email, telephone, and in writing. According to a CBP Regulatory Audit official, if a company receives a notification via email or telephone call, that means the company is a candidate for an audit survey. CBP is sending the letters to the top 1,000 importer-of-record numbers that CBP has not audited in the past 10 years