JOC Staff | Jan 18, 2013 4:04PM EST
U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations seized 22,848 shipments of counterfeit and pirated goods in fiscal year 2012, as well as 697 websites involved in trafficking those goods, according to the Intellectual Property Rights Fiscal Year 2012 Seizure Statistics Report.
The seized shipments were worth $1.26 billion, the agencies said, based on the manufacturer’s suggested retail price had the goods been legitimate.
The report also found that China continues to be the top source economy for counterfeit and pirated goods seized, accounting for 72 percent of the total by value.
Handbags and wallets were the top commodities seized, increasing 142.2 percent year-over-year.
