Washington—U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seized imports of counterfeit perfume valued at nearly $51 million during fiscal year 2011.

Counterfeit perfumes are a form of theft from the brand owner, and protecting American intellectual property is a priority for CBP. In addition to the economic harm, counterfeit perfumes are also often contaminated with unknown chemicals that can cause serious injury.

The fake perfume that CBP most frequently intercepted was labeled “Sex in the City” perfume, which is related to the highly popular HBO movie and television series. CBP has been working with the right holder to crack down on these illegal imports.

In fiscal year 2011, CBP’s Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) National Targeting and Analysis Group (NTAG) in Los Angeles targeted 138 commercial shipments of perfumes for possible trademark infringement. These shipments were examined and 52 were seized for infringing a trademark, including the “Sex and the City” trademark. The domestic value of the seized shipments, which contained more than one million pieces, was nearly $8 million. If the trademark had been genuine, the manufacturer’s suggested retail price of the perfume would have been more than $45 million.

The IPR-NTAG provides a national strategic perspective on trade through risk analysis and multi-disciplined trade strategies; develops and applies risk management techniques to support trade security and trade compliance; supports national trade strategies and field enforcement operations; and monitors the effectiveness of trade criteria and the targeting process.

In the past year, the IPR-NTAG uncovered more than 30 entities involved in the importation of counterfeit perfume,

U.S. ports of entry and the IPR-NTAG continue to target for counterfeit perfumes and to work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigators to assist in enforcement actions and develop criminal cases. CBP also works closely with right holders in intellectual property rights enforcement.

In fiscal year 2011, 24,792 seizures of counterfeit and pirated goods with a total domestic value of $178.9 million and a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $1.1 billion were intercepted before entering the United States.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.