The recent imposition of tariffs by the United States may assist
anti-counterfeiting efforts, both in the United States and
Canada.
The imposition of tariffs themselves will likely only have a
minor effect on the flow of counterfeit goods, as counterfeiters
have not been known to play by the rules and are not likely to
accurately describe the origin and value of the goods that they
sell. In many cases, since the goods are produced at low cost, the
counterfeiters can either absorb any tariffs payable or even pay
the tariffs and still sell their products below the cost of genuine
articles.
The bigger effect on counterfeit goods will come from the
lifting of the so-called de minimis exemption. In its
simplest terms, many countries set floors for the declared value of
goods below which duties do not have to be paid and fewer customs
formalities observed. These thresholds are set in order to not
burden the customs branch with inspecting a large volume of items
which
