The Office of Homeland Security Statistics issues this annual data table describing intellectual property rights (IPR) seizures. The file at the bottom of the page includes data on seizures by product type and conveyance.
About this Report
The Office of Homeland Security Statistics (OHSS) produced this report independently in support of its mission to maximize DHS data quality and transparency. OHSS worked with DHS Component statistical officials and subject matter experts to validate the reporting methodologies supporting this report, and Component statistical officials reviewed data tables for accuracy.
Methodology
Data Source
Data represent DHS total IPR seizures made by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Data are sourced from CBP's Seized Assets and Case Tracking System (SEACATS) that tracks seized assets related to CBP and ICE HSI operations.
Date
Data are as of 8/21/2023. Statistical information is subject to change due to corrections, systems changes, changes in data definition, additional information, or seizures pending final review. This report will be updated on an annual basis.
Data Processing
CBP and ICE HSI collaborate on many IPR seizures and investigations, collect data in SEACATS related to those seizures, and report Component-level statistics on their involvement in those seizures. Unique system of record identifiers are used to deduplicate Component data. Combined DHS IPR seizures data are constructed by augmenting CBP IPR seizures data with ICE HSI data for seizures with unique identifiers that are not already captured in the CBP data.
Unit of Measure
The unit of measurement for this report is lines. A line represents one type of seized product differentiated by either product or brand name. For example, two different lines can be Brand Y Shirt or Brand X Shirt. Another example of two different lines is Brand A Pants and Brand A Shoes. The number of unique seizures (i.e., shipments) and the quantity per type of product (i.e., number of Brand A Pants) cannot be evaluated with this dataset.
Data Fields and Definitions
The category of counterfeit product seized.
| Product | Examples of Seizures | |
|---|---|---|
| Arms | Guns, gun parts, ammunition | |
| Automotive/Aerospace | Vehicles, trailers, air bags, e-bikes, key fobs | |
| Ball Bearings | Ball bearings | |
| Cigarettes | Cigarettes, e-cigarettes, nicotine pods | |
| Computers/Accessories | Hard drives, laptops, tablets, computer screens, keyboards, chips, networking equipment | |
| Consumer Electronics |
|
|
| Consumer Products | Phone cases, game controllers, video games, books, musical instruments, luggage, household appliances | |
| Currency/Monetary | Cash, checks, virtual currency/cryptocurrency | |
| Drugs | Fentanyl, cocaine, other schedule I/II drugs, steroids, precursor chemicals, other drugs not scheduled I/II | |
| Food | Energy drinks, condensed milk, whiskey, baby formula | |
| Footwear | Sandals, sneakers, slippers, boots | |
| Handbags/Wallets | Purses, clutches, duffle bags | |
| Identification Documents | Passports, resident alien cards, COVID vaccine cards, other travel documents | |
| Labels/Tags | Branded tags, decals, stickers, emblems | |
| Optical Media | Blu Ray, DVDs, software CDs | |
| Other | Bed sheets, blankets, floor mats, water filters, evidence (to support prosecution of IPR crimes), industrial machinery (used to produce counterfeits), plant products | |
| Pharmaceuticals/Personal Care | Medicines, contact lenses, eyeglasses, makeup, lotions, toothpaste | |
| Prohibited Items | Pill presses, switchblade knives, lumber and other wood products, (child) pornography, other embargo items | |
| Real Estate | Seized to recover the losses from IPR crimes. House, condominium, land, office building, apartment, townhouse | |
| Sporting Goods | Golf clubs, exercise equipment, soccer balls | |
| Toys | Plush toys, playing cards, figurines | |
| Watches/Jewelry | Watches, necklaces, bracelets | |
| Wearing Apparel/ Accessories | T-shirts, jeans, jerseys |
The mode of transportation used to ship the products to the United States.
| Conveyance | Description |
|---|---|
| Auto | Non-commercial personal vehicle |
| Bus | Non-commercial bus |
| Commercial Air | Commercial cargo shipping aircraft |
| Commercial Truck | Commercial cargo shipping truck |
| Commercial Vessel | Commercial cargo shipping vessel |
| Express Consignment | Express consignment carrier facility |
|
No Transportation Involved |
Conveyance was not used in the commission of the crime |
| Other | Conveyances not otherwise categorized, such as ultralight aircraft, canoes, etc. |
| Pedestrian | Person(s) |
| Private Aircraft | General aviation aircraft |
| Train | Commercial and Non-commercial trains |
| Truck | Non-commercial truck |
| Van | Non-commercial van |
| Vessel | Non-commercial vessel |
The country or territory from which the products originate and/or are exported from.
- “Unknown” indicates that the country or territory from which the products originate was not known at the time of seizure.
The number of unique counterfeit products that were seized; the count of lines is not equal to the quantity of products seized.
- A line represents one type of seized product differentiated by either product or brand name. For example, two different lines can be Brand Y Shirt or Brand X Shirt. Another example of two different lines is Brand A Pants and Brand A Shoes. The line is not equal to the piece count of products in a seizure. For example, one line of Brand A Pants could have a corresponding piece count of eight pairs of pants.
The total Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of the products seized in U.S. Dollars if the product had been genuine.
- Data are rounded to the nearest dollar.
- CBP is the appraising official for both CBP and ICE HSI seizures.
- MSRP reflects the appraisal at the time of seizure. Zero indicates that the MSRP was unknown at the time of seizure.
| Attachment | Ext. | Size | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| International Trade Intellectual Property Rights Seizures - 2019-2022 | XLSX | 139.65 KB | 11/01/2023 |