To expand the sharing of information with respect to suspected violations of intellectual property rights in trade.

The bill would amend the Tariff Act of 1930's provision on sharing information about suspected intellectual property violations in imported merchandise. It would lower the standard CBP must meet before requesting assistance from rights holders, from having to "suspect" a violation to merely having "a reasonable suspicion." It would expand the categories of information and images CBP may share to include packing materials and containers, not just merchandise, packaging, and labels. It would also let CBP share nonpublic information about suspect merchandise generated by online marketplaces, freight forwarders, express consignment operators, or other entities involved in importing or selling the goods, so long as CBP has obtained that information, with notice given to the recipient.

It would also broaden who qualifies as a "person" CBP can request assistance from and share information with, adding "any other party with an interest in the merchandise" as determined appropriate by the CBP Commissioner, beyond the trademark and copyright owners already covered.

Trademark and copyright owners, online marketplaces, freight forwarders, express consignment operators, importers, and other parties with an interest in imported merchandise, as well as U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials who handle suspected intellectual-property violations at the border.

Rights holders and other interested parties would get faster, broader access to information—including images of packaging and nonpublic marketplace data—to help identify counterfeit or pirated imports before they enter the country. The lowered suspicion threshold and CBP's added discretion could also change how often and to whom such information is shared.

CBP would apply the revised "reasonable suspicion" standard when deciding whether to request assistance from rights holders or other interested parties. When sharing nonpublic information obtained from online marketplaces, freight forwarders, or similar entities, CBP would need to follow notification procedures set out in regulations the Secretary of the Treasury (or Homeland Security, as applicable) prescribes, informing recipients of what information was transmitted. The Commissioner of CBP would have discretion to determine which additional parties qualify as having an interest in the merchandise.