There’s a little-known way to maximize the value of a federal trademark registration — recording it with U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Taking this extra step (and paying the $190 fee required to do so) puts your trademark on Customs’ radar screen. It helps put the government to work for you stopping counterfeit goods bearing your trademark at the border.
Besides alerting Customs about its mark, the owner of a federal trademark registration can provide additional information to help stop counterfeit goods from entering the States, such as the place authentic goods are manufactured; the authorized port of entry into the States; and what authentic goods look like. When Customs inspects goods bearing the registrant’s trademark that do not match this criteria, it will seize the goods and contact the trademark owner to determine whether the goods are real or fake.
Customs only inspects small percentage of goods that are imported into the States. To be sure, plenty of counterfeit goods make it through. But why not make it tougher on the counterfeiters? By working with Customs, you can leverage the value of your trademark registration and help the government help you.