AAFA Pushes for Swift House Passage of Key Anti-Counterfeiting Customs Enforcement Measure

The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) today urged the U.S. House of Representatives to pass a key anti-counterfeiting measure that is scheduled to be considered this week. The legislation (H.R. 4930) aims to strengthen U.S. Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) ability to share information with stakeholders during IP enforcement of American intellectual property (IP) rights at the border. When enacted, this provision will enable brands to help CBP curb counterfeits before they enter American homes.

H.R. 4930 clarifies CBP's ability to share information with brands, not only from products and packaging, but also from packing materials connected to suspected counterfeit shipments. It also expands the definition of who qualifies as a "person" eligible to receive information from CBP, allowing the agency to address longstanding challenges to the enforcement of intellectual property rights by strengthening information shared with stakeholders in intellectual property enforcement. By widening both the scope of information and the pool of partners, the legislation aims to break down information silos, improve enforcement efficiency, and better support efforts to identify and block counterfeit items.

"Stopping these unsafe counterfeits at the border, preventing them from polluting third party marketplaces, and, ultimately, keeping them out of American homes should be a bipartisan, bicameral priority. We hope the Senate will take up this measure if it passes the House so it can quickly be presented to the President for his signature," remarked Stephen Lamar, AAFA's President and CEO.

"The decision to advance H.R. 4930 marks an important milestone in the bipartisan effort to crack down on counterfeit goods and move this critical legislation closer to passage," said AAFA's Senior Director, Brand Protection, Jennifer Hanks. "We thank Congressman Moore and Congressman Schneider for their House leadership in crafting stronger enforcement tools and enhancing information sharing to better protect Americans from the real dangers posed by counterfeiters."

Support for H.R. 4930 - a companion to S. 2677 introduced by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) - reflects AAFA's ongoing commitment to reducing the millions of counterfeit and pirated goods that enter the U.S. illegally and follows a recent joint industry support letter for the bill.

In recognition of World IP Day on Saturday, April 26, AAFA led a letter with almost two dozen consumer, retail, and manufacturing groups to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO John A. Squires to tout the economic importance of protecting IP, encourage the continuance of leading multilateral discussions on intellectual property, and grow stakeholder capacity-building opportunities.

AAFA is committed to strengthening IP enforcement and increasing awareness of the Digital Devalue Chain of Counterfeits and related risks posed to businesses, consumers, workers, and the environment.