Washington DC –The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced they will work with the National Basketball Association (NBA) and Major League Baseball (MLB) to combat counterfeit goods.
Counterfeit sporting goods generate millions of dollars each year for criminal organizations. Last year alone, CBP seized $94 million in counterfeit sports memorabilia, apparel and equipment. CBP, Chamber of Commerce, NBA and MLB hope their partnership will help protect consumers and their families from unsafe, substandard and counterfeit products that threaten consumers’ health and safety, and expose law-abiding businesses to unfairness economic competition.
The announcement comes a year after CBP and the Chamber of Commerce signed a memorandum of understanding to improve cooperation and information exchange to better protect the public and brand owners from criminal counterfeiting operations.
“The Chamber and Business is proud to continue to align with law enforcement to prioritize solutions to eliminate counterfeit and pirated merchandise,” said Tom Quadman, Executive Vice President of the Chamber. “We’re excited to develop this partnership with the participation of the truly iconic National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball. Fakes have real consequences, and consumers — whether they’re sports fans, parents, or small businesses — — should all believe they got what they paid for.”
“Intellectual property protection is a cornerstone of CBP’s trade mission, and the results of our work with the Chamber of Commerce to date have been very exciting,” said John Leonard, Deputy Executive Assistant Commissioner for the Office of Trade. “We look forward to expanding this effort with the National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball, and we encourage sports fans to shop from reputable sources.”
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development estimates that the global trade in counterfeit and pirated goods generates more than $500 billion in illicit proceeds each year. Last fiscal year, CBP seized more than 26,500 shipments containing millions of counterfeit items, including personal protective equipment, medicines, COVID-19 test kits, electronics, apparel, footwear and jewelry.
The trade in counterfeit and pirated goods threatens the U.S. innovation economy, the competitiveness of U.S. businesses, and the livelihoods of American workers, and sometimes contains ingredients or chemical additives that harm the health and safety of consumers. Proceeds from the sale of counterfeit goods finance criminal organizations engaged in drug trafficking, arms smuggling, financial crime and other illegal activities.
CBP’s initiative Fake Goods, Real Dangers raises awareness among consumers about the dangers of buying counterfeit and pirated goods, and the Chamber of Commerce and CBP jointly conduct a public outreach campaign on television and radio to educate consumers on the issue , thereby affecting millions of people. Under the move, major retailers and customs officials are exploring sharing data through a pilot scheme.
Consumers can report suspected counterfeit products through the e-Allegations online reporting system or by calling 1-800-BE-ALERT.
For more information on intellectual property enforcement, visit CBP.gov and the Center for Global Innovation Policy website.