U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Louisville KY detained a shipment believed to be counterfeit jewelry on January 2.  

CBP officers examined the shipment to determine the admissibility of the goods and discovered the shipment contained 4,920 pairs of earrings with Chanel logos. They were seized for infringing Chanel’s protected trademarks. The earrings, arriving from China and heading to Maryland, would have been worth a total of $1.37 million had they been genuine.

“This just goes to show you how criminals are using express consignment facilities to ship their items to unsuspecting consumers, damaging our economy,” said LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, Director, Field Operations-Chicago Field Office. “I want to congratulate our Officers for their outstanding job. CBP is the first line of defense, and we will continue to protect the safety of consumers.”

CBP has established an educational initiative to raise consumer awareness about the consequences and dangers associated with purchasing counterfeit and pirated goods online or in stores. More information about that initiative is available at www.cbp.gov/fakegoodsrealdangers.

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United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai and Japan's Minister for Economy, Trade, and Industry Nishimura Yasutoshi signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) to launch a Task Force on the Promotion of Human Rights and International Labor Standards in Supply Chains.

This task force established under the US-Japan Partnership on Trade program provides an opportunity for the US and Japan to work together to promote human rights and recognize international labor rights. The US and Japan will exchange information on relevant laws and policies to facilitate dialogues with business and worker organizations to promote best practices for human rights.

These areas of cooperation are designed to protect workers and enhance predictability and clarity for businesses as they seek to contribute to resilient and sustainable supply chains.

“From their leadership in the development of the Group of 7 Trade Ministers’ Statement on Forced Labor to their first-ever release of human rights due diligence guidelines for responsible supply chains to their commitment to carry out shared principles to combat forced labor.   “The launch of this Task Force is another example of how trade can be a force for good throughout the world.  Developing new tools that bring together the combined expertise of agencies across the Governments of the United States and Japan will help contribute to tackling worker exploitation in global supply chains.” said Ambassador Katherine Tai.

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Beginning March 18, 2023 US Customs will require a postal code for entries with goods manufactured in China.   CBP will utilize the postal codes to help determine if the imported products are coming from the Uyghur region. This enhancement will provide an early notification to importers of the possibility their goods may have been produced with forced labor. Any warning messages we receive will be reported to the importer.

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