Newsroom
Media Inquiries
For media inquiries and breaking news, please email IPR Center Public Affairs at IPRCenterMedia@hsi.dhs.gov.
Recent News
Missouri couple sentenced for selling counterfeit Disney movies
A federal judge sentenced a Columbia couple Feb. 8, following a joint Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and U.S. Department of Agriculture investigation into a scheme to smuggle counterfeit Disney DVDs into the United States and sell them on eBay.
Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office Announces the Seizure of 23 More Domain Names that Allegedly Violated Copyrights by Illegally Live Streaming the World Cup
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland has announced the seizure of 23 websites for allegedly live streaming the World Cup games, an infringement of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) copyrights. Individuals visiting the sites will now see a message that the site has been seized by the federal government and be redirected to another site for additional information. This is the second round of seizures. On December 10, 2022, 55 websites were seized and these additional sites were seized on December 16, 2022.
IPR Center, NFL partner to prevent fake sports-related merchandise from reaching fans ahead of Super Bowl LVII
PHOENIX –The National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center) announced the seizure of approximately 180,000 counterfeit sports-related items, worth an estimated $22.7 million during a joint press conference with the National Football League (NFL).
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
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