Amazon Working With IPR Center, CBP, DHL on Anti-Counterfeit Operation

Amazon and the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center announced Tuesday "Operation Fulfilled Action" to prevent counterfeit goods from entering the U.S. Also supporting the operation are Customs and Border Protection and DHL. Amazon will help the IPR Center identify, interdict and investigate individuals, companies and criminal organizations engaging in illegal import of counterfeit products, said IPR Center Director Steve Francis. Amazon sidelines inventory if it suspects a product may be counterfeit, combining its own intelligence and that from the IPR Center and other agencies, said Dharmesh Mehta, Amazon vice president-customer trust and partner support. The company’s Counterfeit Crimes Unit, created this year, will lead the operation (see 2006250036). Last year, Amazon invested over $500 million to prevent such fraud, it said.