CBP monitoring of postal shipments fails

//DH

While there are some 25 agencies across the federal government that are engaged to varying extents in efforts to monitor, deter, and prevent the importation and sale of counterfeit goods, CBP is the primary federal agency responsible for preventing goods that infringe U.S. copyrights, registered trademarks, and certain patents from entering the United States.37 This includes the operation of the National Targeting Center, which identifies IP rights violators and refers them for further investigation. CBP also partners with the private sector to conduct risk assessments of shipments, share specific industry standards with CBP field officers, as well as discuss emerging trends, technologies, and ways to cooperate on the enforcement of IP rights.

In addition to inspecting international shipping containers and air freight, CBP also cooperates with the U.S. Postal Service and international parcel courier companies to monitor individual shipments. Stepping up its inspection and monitoring efforts in this regard, CBP recently initiated Operation Mega Flex, which targets high-risk violators that are shipping and receiving illicit contraband through international mail facilities and express consignment hubs. Periodic “blitz operations” conducted under the auspices of Operation Mega Flex have examined thousands of parcels from China and Hong Kong and have cataloged the range of contraband seized.38

Even so, the sheer volume of small packages from overseas makes it difficult for customs officials to thoroughly identify counterfeit goods—and those goods below a de minimis threshold in declared value may not even receive routine screening.39 In addition, the priority for customs officials is often to interdict illicit drugs or weapons, rather than stop counterfeits.40