YourVoice.Now Summary
Civil LibertiesCorporate BenefitsTransparency & AccountabilityCustoms could share private marketplace and shipping data with brand owners chasing counterfeits — less privacy for importers.
Civil Liberties
Today the law lets Customs act when it "suspects" a violation. The bill would require "a reasonable suspicion," a legal standard that asks for specific facts, not a hunch.
Customs could hand a brand owner private data about a shipment. It can come from an online marketplace, a shipper, or a freight forwarder. Today Customs shares only what shows up on the goods, their packaging, and labels.
The law lists who Customs may work with, such as the trademark or copyright owner. The bill would let the Customs Commissioner add any other party with a stake in the goods.
Corporate Benefits
Brand owners help Customs judge whether imported goods are fake. The bill would let them see private data that marketplaces and shippers gave Customs.
Customs may already share pictures of the goods, their packaging, and labels. The bill would add the packing materials and the shipping container.
Transparency & Accountability
Customs must tell the person who gets the private data what it sent. The bill leaves the rest of that notice to rules written later.
More about this bill
Most people would notice nothing day to day. This one matters if you import goods or sell through an online marketplace. Customs officers can already ask a trademark or copyright owner to help judge whether a shipment is fake. Officers share details and photos of the goods to make that call. The bill would widen what officers can hand over. Photos could also cover packing materials and the shipping container. Officers could pass along private shipment information from an online marketplace, a shipper, or a freight forwarder. They would have to tell the recipient what was sent. Customs would need "a reasonable suspicion" of a violation. Today the law says only that Customs "suspects" one. The Commissioner could also bring in any other party with a stake in the goods.
Congressional Summary
This bill expands the authority of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to provide information to certain persons (e.g., trademark or copyright owners) regarding suspected violations of intellectual property rights in trade. Under current law, if CBP suspects that merchandise is being imported in violation of certain trademark and copyright laws, it may request assistance from specified persons when determining whether the merchandise is imported in violation of these laws. To permit the party to conduct examination and testing, CBP must provide them with specified information that appears on the merchandise and its packaging and labels. This bill (1) expands the definition of person to allow CBP to request assistance from any other appropriate party with an interest in the imported merchandise, and (2) expands the scope of information that CBP is authorized to share with others to include information on and images of packing materials and containers. The bill allows CBP to request this assistance if it has a reasonable suspicion (currently, suspects) that the merchandise being imported is in violation of certain trademark and copyright laws. Additionally, CBP may provide a person with nonpublic information about the imported merchandise that was generated by an online marketplace or similar market platform, express consignment operator, freight forwarder, or any other entity that plays a role in the sale, importation, or facilitation of the merchandise into the United States and has been provided to, shared with, or obtained by CBP. CBP must provide the person with notification of the transmitted information.
Legislative Subjects
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- House
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Passed House
- Action Date
- 2026-04-27
- Date Added
- 2026-04-24
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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