U.S. Customs IPR Recordals, Brand Guides & Trainings
Every day, counterfeit and infringing goods attempt to enter the United States. While trademark registration is essential, it is not enough to protect your brand at the border.
U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) officers enforce intellectual property rights, but they can only act if those rights are formally recorded with the agency under 19 C.F.R. Part 133. Without recordations, CBP has no authority or tools to identify, detain, or seize infringing goods.
Trademark registrations with the USPTO and Customs recordations with CBP serve distinct purposes. Registration establishes ownership, while recordation authorizes border enforcement. Recordations make action possible, but effective outcomes depend on preparation and follow-through, including officer training and clear communication between the brand and CBP.
Understanding the Recordation Process
A CBP recordation links a brand’s registered trademarks or copyrights with the U.S. border-enforcement system. Each filing includes information about the IP owner, authorized manufacturers, and authentication indicators to discern between genuine and suspect products. CBP uses this information to identify and detain shipments for potential violations.
Recordations are submitted through CBP’s e-Recordation program, an online portal that allows rights holders or their representatives to submit new filings or renew existing recordations. Once recorded, the mark becomes visible within CBP’s internal systems, and limited information is available publicly for reference and verification.
To remain active, CBP recordations must be renewed when the underlying trademark or copyright registration is renewed with the USPTO, or U.S. Copyright Office. Updates that occur between renewal cycles, such as ownership transfers, contact changes, or packaging updates, are handled via e-mail submission to CBP.
Curious what is already on file?
You can review or confirm existing recordations (aka recordals) through the CBP Intellectual Property Rights e-Recordation Search.
How Vaudra Supports the Process
We help brands and their counsel establish, maintain, and strengthen Customs recordations so CBP can identify and act on infringing goods.
Drawing on years of hands-on experience working with CBP to support rights owners, your Vaudra team distills often complex brand and product details into clear, actionable materials that support Customs’ enforcement of intellectual property rights.
Our comprehensive support includes:
- IPR Recordation Guidance: Preparing and filing Customs e-recordations, verifying accuracy, and ensuring each mark is properly recorded to enable enforcement.
- Brand Manual Development: Creating or refining detailed brand authentication guides that help CBP officers distinguish between authentic and suspect products.
- Training Sessions: Coordinating in-person or virtual trainings to help raise awareness of the brand, demonstrate its commitment to enforcement, and familiarize officers with product features and counterfeit indicators.
- Ongoing Support: Updating ownership details, contacts, and product visuals as brands evolve to keep recordations current and compliant.
Depending on your preference, we coordinate with counsel or brand contacts to enhance related training materials and CBP collaboration based on our investigative insights. For brands new to working with Vaudra, the recordation process itself becomes a valuable orientation — an opportunity to identify priority products, key trademarks to emphasize, and potential vulnerabilities to safeguard against.
As we gather information to complete the filings, we learn your brand’s nuances, laying the foundation for stronger authentication, future investigations, and more effective enforcement.
Why Recordations Matters
Recordations are more than administrative filings. They are the gateway to border enforcement.
Without them, CBP cannot act. With them, CBP is armed with the legal authority and practical information needed to intercept infringing goods. Effective recordations transform a registered trademark into a defensible border presence.
By working with Vaudra, you:
- Enable border protection giving CBP officers the authority and reference materials they need to identify suspect shipments.
- Gain peace of mind knowing every possible step has been taken to support Customs and secure your brand against infringing imports.
- Build brand awareness with CBP placing your trademarks on their radar through clear documentation and direct interaction.
- Simplify coordination with us serving as a knowledgeable intermediary, ensuring CBP receives what it needs when it is needed so you can focus on broader priorities.
- Expand enforcement potential by leveraging your recordation through tools such as e-Allegations and informed follow-up when suspect shipments arise.
Experience You Can Trust
For more than 20 years, Vaudra has supported leading law firms, global brands, and enforcement agencies in protecting intellectual property.
Our team maintains regular contact with CBP through trainings, conferences, and industry partnerships, and stays informed of enforcement trends and procedural updates. We also participate in CBP webinars and programs available to recordation holders, ensuring our related work remains aligned with current Customs practices and expectations.
From Prevention to Investigation
While Customs recordations enable border protection, they are only one part of a comprehensive enforcement strategy. We also perform Importer and Exporter Investigations and Supplier and Manufacturer Investigations, helping brands trace unauthorized shipments, assess supplier legitimacy, and connect findings across the supply chain to support broader enforcement goals.
Protect Your Brand with Precision
Do not wait until counterfeit goods reach U.S. shores to act. Ensure your intellectual property is recognized, recorded, and ready for enforcement.
Contact us to coordinate your Customs recordations, brand authentication guide development, or CBP training today.
Continue Learning
Strengthen your understanding of Customs recordations and proactive brand protection:
Additional resources from U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) (cbp.gov):
Why Us
Offering Intellectual Property (IP) investigations & brand protection solutions globally since 2003.
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