Lawyers are calling an interim rule of U.S. Customs and Border Protection that allows the agency to share information about potentially counterfeit imports with trademark holders “a good start.”
The April 24 publication of an interim rule in the Federal Register allows the agency to share information protected by the Trade Secrets Act that appears on the merchandise or its retail packaging. The interim rule, titled “Disclosure of Information for Certain Intellectual Property Rights Enforced at the Border,” allows Customs to share product serial numbers, universal product codes and stock keeping unit numbers with trademark owners so the rights owners can help the agency identify counterfeit goods.
