cruse and associates news blog <br />http://www.yumanewsnow.com/index.php/news/latest/3030-international-counterfeiting-crackdowns-celebrated-in-observation-of-world-intellectual-property-day <br />Washington, DC - The National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center) joined international associations, government and law enforcement officials around the world Friday in celebrating World Intellectual Property (IP) Day. World IP Day was started by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and is celebrated April 26 every year in order to promote discussion of the role of intellectual property in encouraging innovation and creativity. Over the last few years, according to experts at the IPR Center, counterfeiters have become increasingly sophisticated, and coordination between federal and international partners has become a priority in the fight against IP theft. The IPR Center now has 21 member agencies, including international partners in Mexico, Canada, Interpol and Europol. In 2012, 72 percent of the counterfeit seizures by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) originated in China. Additionally, another 13 percent were believed to have been transshipped from China through Hong Kong and Singapore making China responsible for 85 percent of the counterfeit products entering the United States. During that same year, HSI and CBP seized goods worth more than $850 million in manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP)...
