Baltimore CBP Officers Seize Over $72k in Counterfeit Vinyl Flooring Tiles from China

BALTIMORE – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized over 10,000 cases of vinyl flooring tiles in Baltimore on February 25 after trademark holders confirmed that the trademarks were counterfeit. The shipment, had it been authentic, was valued at more than $72,422.

CBP officers initially examined the shipment of 10,400 boxes of United Diamond Core SPC vinyl flooring tiles on January 28 after it arrived from China. The shipment was destined to an address in Sheridan, Wyoming.

Officers suspected that the UL Greenguard certification mark and the L2C trademark were counterfeit and detained the flooring tiles on January 30.

CBP officers submitted product documentation and photographs to CBP’s trade experts at the Industrial and Manufacturing Materials Center of Excellence and Expertise (CEE) for analysis. CBP’s trade experts verified that the UL Greenguard and L2C markings were used without authorization. The counterfeit flooring tiles were subject to seizure pursuant to CBP’s statutory and regulatory authorities.

The UL Greenguard mark certifies that the product has low chemical emissions, such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which pose serious health concerns to consumers. The L2C trademark is used as part of an industry authentication program designed to detect infringing flooring products.

Collectively, these certifications are designed to protect and assure consumers that the flooring tiles are safe, of advertised quality, and possess a valid manufacturer’s warranty.

“Consumers could be victimized twice by counterfeit products, such as these flooring tiles. The product could be manufactured using unsafe and substandard materials that pose health and safety threats, and counterfeit products void any associated manufacturer warranties for repair or replacement of inferior or damaged products,” said Adam Rottman, CBP’s Area Port Director for the Area Port of Baltimore. “Customs and Border Protection and our consumer safety partners urge consumers to protect themselves and their families by always buying authentic products from reputable vendors.”

The international trade in counterfeit consumer goods is illegal. It steals revenues from trademark holders, steals tax revenues from the government, funds transnational criminal organizations, and the unregulated products potentially threaten the health and safety of American consumers.

Counterfeiters manufacture consumer goods using substandard materials and parts that either break prematurely or that could hurt consumers. Counterfeit consumer goods may also be sourced or manufactured in facilities that employ forced labor.

For more information about the consequences and dangers often associated with the purchase of counterfeit goods visit the Truth Behind Counterfeits public awareness campaign website at CBP’s Fake Goods Real Dangers webpage.

CBP protects businesses and consumers every day through an aggressive Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) enforcement program. During fiscal year 2024, CBP recorded oner 32,000 seizures with an estimated manufacturer’s suggested retail price worth over $5.4 billion, had the goods been genuine.

News media can search for additional enforcement details by viewing CBP’s IPR webpage or by viewing CBP’s IPR Dashboard and CBP’s Annual IPR Seizures Reports.

U.S. trademark and copyright owners can register with CBP to have their intellectual property protected at the border through the through the e-Recordation program (https://iprr.cbp.gov/s/).

CBP's border security mission is led at our nation’s Ports of Entry by CBP officers and agriculture specialists from the Office of Field Operations. CBP screens international travelers and cargo and searches for illicit narcotics, unreported currency, weapons, counterfeit consumer goods, prohibited agriculture, invasive weeds and pests, and other illicit products that could potentially harm the American public, U.S. businesses, and our nation’s safety and economic vitality.

See what CBP accomplished during "A Typical Day" in 2023.

Follow the Director of CBP’s Baltimore Field Office on Twitter at @DFOBaltimore for breaking news, current events, human interest stories and photos, and CBP’s Office of Field Operations on Instagram at @cbpfieldops.