Seizure

A Smoother Road to Exporting Vehicles: CBP’s New Electronic Validation Export Program

In our previous post “Knowing The Rules Of The Road: Exporting Cars From The U.S.”, we discussed CBP’s laws and regulations that must be followed to successfully export vehicles from the United States to foreign destinations. Failure to do so could result in the imposition of severe penalties — up to $10,000. Additionally, we provided a quick guide on how to export your vehicle form the United States, which provided all the documents required to successfully export your vehicle. […]

AILA CLE Luncheon: Ports of Entry – Searches, Seizures and More!

fghdghDo you know rights (and your clients’ rights) when encountering law enforcement at airports and other ports of entry? Join us at The Rusty Pelican on Wednesday, November 15, 2017, at 11:45AM for an interactive discussion on various issues being encountered by travelers at ports of entry. Our panel of experts will discuss:
[…]

Peruvian Timber on the Hot Seat

In a press release, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) directed United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to block future timber imports from a Peruvian exporter, Inversiones Oroza SRL for three years or until it is determined that the company has complied with all applicable Peruvian laws, regulations, and other measures, whichever is shorter. This is the first enforcement action taken by the […]

The UGG Boots Story: How Recording Your Registered Trademark Can Lead to a Jail Sentence

At the end of September 2017, Shi Wei Zheng, 42, plead guilty to one count of trafficking in counterfeit goods. During a five-month period, Zheng trafficked over 15,000 pairs of counterfeit UGG boots, with a total estimated retail value of over $2.5 million.

Zheng created an elaborate scheme in order to receive and sell counterfeit UGG boots. From September 2016 through February 2017, Zheng received several shipping containers from an individual overseas, of which at least three containers were filled with counterfeit UGG boots. After the containers reached the Port of Entry, in this instance, Port of Newark, Zheng had individuals working at the port, remove the containers from the port before U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) could examine them. Once removed, the containers were delivered to other individuals, paid by Zheng to distribute the counterfeit boots in New Jersey and other places.

Lucky for the owners of the UGG brand, Deckers Outdoor Corporation (Deckers), CBP halted Zheng’s operation, in part as a result of Decker recording its registered trademark with CBP on June 7, 2016. After the recordation was processed, CBP began a more intense “guard dog watch” of the UGG brand merchandise at all Ports of Entry throughout the U.S. This meant that Deckers exercised its right to protect its word mark “UGG” at all U.S. borders. The recordation of the protected mark ultimately lead CBP to identifying counterfeit UGG merchandise and holding the culprit, Zheng, accountable for violating 18 U.S.C. § 2320, trafficking in counterfeit goods, […]

Go to Top