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Ivan J. Arvelo
IPR Center Director

Celebrating 25 Years of Partnership and Progress


For 25 years, the IPR Center has led the fight against global intellectual property theft and illicit trade. As we mark this milestone, we reflect on our achievements and look ahead to the challenges of the future. Join us in our continued mission to combat illicit trade, protect public health and safety, and build lasting alliances.

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Protecting Public Health and Safety

Predatory and illegal intellectual property (IP) trade practices affect every aspect of our lives. The National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center) leads the U.S. government's response to stop global IP theft and enforce trade laws.

Comprised of federal agencies and industry experts, the IPR Center develops initiatives, coordinates enforcement actions and shares information related to intellectual property (IP) theft. It also stops predatory, illegal trade practices that threaten the public's health and safety, the U.S. economy and national security.

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By the Numbers

IP theft is not a victimless crime. Victims are American consumers, businesses, trademark holders and people who manufacture and sell legitimate products. Often, the illicit proceeds resulting from the sale of counterfeit or unlicensed products are funneled back to support a broad range of illegal crimes. Every day, the IPR Center works with industries and agencies to stop IP theft that threatens U.S. businesses, robs hardworking Americans of their jobs and negatively impacts the economy. From criminal arrests to the seizure of goods, the numbers tell the story.

Criminals sell pirated merchandise and counterfeit U.S. products around the globe. And, while it seems harmless to buy a knock-off purse, an inexpensive electronic device or cheaper medication, these trade practices threaten the public's health and safety, the U.S. economy and national security by introducing harmful and banned materials into counterfeit products and supporting illegal labor practices. The U.S. government created the IPR Center to stop predatory and illegal trade practices.

By bringing together domestic and international government agencies and private industry partners, the IPR Center presents a unified force to combat global intellectual property theft and enforce IP rights violations. The IPR Center was established to combat global IP theft and, accordingly, has a significant role policing the sale and distribution of counterfeit goods on websites, social media, and the dark web.


IP PROTECT

Learn how IP Project can help small businesses protect themselves from intellectual property theft, fraud and cyber-attacks.

If you represent a small business or organization wanting to learn more about IP Protect, please click on the button below.

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RECENT NEWS

2025/07/08 11:05:00 UTC

Body Armor Company Owner Sentenced to Five Years in Prison

CLEVELAND – Vall Iliev, 70, of Stow, Ohio, has been sentenced to 63 months (5.25 years) in prison by U.S. District Court Judge Donald C. Nugent after he pleaded guilty in March to smuggling foreign-made body armor and then selling it to law enforcement agencies and other members of the public as legitimate, domestically-made certified products. Iliev was additionally ordered to serve three years of supervised release after imprisonment. Judge Nugent also ordered him to pay approximately $5.2 million in restitution.

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2025/03/21 16:40:00 UTC

Stow businessman pleads guilty to selling smuggled knock-off body armor from China

Vall Iliev must pay back $32.4 million for selling bogus body armor to the Akron Police Department to outfit its SWAT officers. He will be sentenced July 8.

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2025/02/26 16:45:00 UTC

Ohio Man Charged with Smuggling Body Armor from China to Sell to Law Enforcement Customers as American Made

CLEVELAND – Vall Iliev, 69, of Stow, Ohio, has been charged in a three-count information with smuggling foreign-made body armor and then selling it to law enforcement agencies and others, as legitimate, domestically-made certified products. From around 2017 to October 2023, the defendant allegedly imported body armor from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and sold it under claims of being made in the United States and bearing a falsified trademarked label. Body armor is commonly used by those in law enforcement and other agencies for protection from ballistic threats to the torso area.

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**The appearance of any non-federal entities and/or reference to vendors does not constitute, imply, or infer endorsement or sanction of their products or services by the IPR Center, DHS, or the federal government.