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For media inquiries and breaking news, please email IPR Center Public Affairs at IPRCenterMedia@hsi.dhs.gov.


Recent News

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 MPA Awards to Honor “Wicked” Director, Key U.S. Lawmakers, and IPR Center - Motion Picture Association

WASHINGTON – The Motion Picture Association today announced it will honor Jon M. Chu, director of “Wicked” and the upcoming “Wicked: For Good,” with its 2025 MPA Creator Award.

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$39.5 million in counterfeit sports merchandise seized ahead of Super Bowl LIX

last modified 2025-02-05T19:09:58+00:00

New Orleans– In a joint press conference with the National Football League (NFL), the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center), led by Director Ivan J. Arvelo, announced the seizure of $39.5 million in counterfeit sports merchandise through Operation Team Player. This year-long, collaborative initiative between Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and major sports leagues aims to prevent counterfeit sports-related merchandise and apparel from reaching fans ahead of high-profile sporting events.

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Success Stories

Pro Network - Counterfeit Goods and Wire Fraud

On July 8, 2022 Onur "Roy" Aksoy, was indicted by a federal Grand Jury in the District of New Jersey for one count of conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit goods and to commit mail and wire fraud; three counts of mail fraud; four counts of wire fraud; and three counts of trafficking in counterfeit goods in running a large-scale operation to traffic in fraudulent and counterfeit Cisco networking equipment.

Digital Millennium - Copyright Act and Wire Fraud

In May 2018, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) initiated a criminal investigation into TEAM XECUTER (TX), a financially motivated cyber-criminal organization (CO).

Operation Chain Reaction (OCR) - Counterfeit Goods and Wire Fraud

On October 20, 2022, Terry ROE, the third and final coconspirator in a large counterfeit military uniforms scheme, was sentenced in the District of Rhode Island to 24-months confinement and 3-years supervised release after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit goods and to commit wire fraud.

FIFA World Cup - Live Streaming Sites Seized

As part of the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center) Digital Piracy Initiative, "In Our Sites," Special Agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore seized a total of 71 separate internet domains between December 9 and 18, 2022 for live streaming World Cup matches, an infringement of Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) copyrights.


Photos and Video

 

Operation Team Player

The IPR Center’s Operation Team Player is a year-round effort to catch people who try to pass off counterfeit sports merchandise, apparel, collectibles, memorabilia and even tickets. The IPR Center works with law enforcement and industry partners to intercept jerseys, hats, blankets, T-shirts, championship rings and a wide range of other gear in a global effort to protect people just like you.

 

World Intellectual Property Day 2022

The National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center), in conjunction with Michigan State University’s Center for Anti-Counterfeiting and Product Protection (A-CAPP), hosted a roundtable discussion with youth entrepreneurs and Sean Williams, Co-Founder of Detroit -vs- Everyone to discuss brand protection to help creatives protect their business against intellectual property (IP) theft in support of World Intellectual Property Day 2022. This year’s theme focuses on young entrepreneurs and is titled, IP and Youth: Innovating for a Better Future.

 

IP Protect: An Outreach Initiative Supporting Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center. IP Protect - An outreach initiative supporting small and medium-sized enterprises.

On April 26, 2021, World Intellectual Property Day, the IPR Center in partnership with Michigan State University’s Center for Anti-Counterfeiting and Product Protection (A-CAPP), U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the Better Business Bureau announced the launch of “IP Protect.” This joint initiative provides resources – free of charge – to aid small to medium-sized enterprises in protecting themselves against IP theft, fraud and cyber security awareness.

 

 

Operation Intangibles

 

 

IPR Center Holiday Shopping