U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is establishing a new continuous bond option for Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) sample bonds. Under CBP regulations, CBP provides samples to trademark, trade name and copyright owners (collectively known as "rights owners") of certain merchandise suspected of bearing infringing trademarks, trade names, or copyrights or imports seized for such violations.
To obtain such a sample, rights owners must provide the bond specified in CBP's regulations to hold CBP and the importer or owner of the article harmless from any loss resulting from providing the sample to the rights owners. Under the prior practice, CBP has required single transactions bond for the IPR sample bonds. Rights owners may now provide either a continuous or single transaction IPR sample bond to obtain IPR samples from CBP.
A continuous IPR sample bond has the advantage of covering multiple IPR sample transactions, across all ports of entry with a single bond, while allowing CBP to centrally track and administer these bonds. CBP has established this new process in line with CBP's trade strategy in order to facilitate trade. The continuous IPR sample bonds are intended to simplify the process for CBP to provide IPR samples to rights owners and reduce the overall administrative burden for CBP and rights holders involved with single transaction IPR sample bonds.
Rights holders may obtain continuous IPR sample bonds at any time by contacting the Surety Bonds & Accounts Team by email at bondquestions@cbp.dhs.gov, or by phone (317) 614-4880. Rights owners should specifically indicate that they are requesting a continuous IPR sample bond.