The Texas State Attorney General has sued a San Antonio man for charging customers for YETI products never received and counterfeiting under the Texas Deceptive Trade Act.  According to the lawsuit, the defendant purported to sell YETI  products from two unauthorized websites. The Better Business Bureau issued an alert about the sites after receiving complaints from customers of the sites who were charged for the products but never received them. YETI, which did obtain a tumbler from the seller’s sites, also submitted evidence in the lawsuit noting the tumblers were counterfeit, of inferior quality, and had incorrect color, as well as incorrect markings and labeling.
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The 2017 List identifies online and 18 physical markets in which pirated or counterfeit products and services reportedly are available. This report’s focus was on illicit streaming devices as an emerging piracy model of growing concern.
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The release was not without controversy. Alibaba has been outspokenly critical and published a rebuttal statement. The Chinese government publically questioned the credibility of the List.
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Once again the Super Bowl presented fertile ground for counterfeiters. This year’s Operation Team Player saw an increase of 16 percent over last year in arrests for the selling of NFL and Super Bowl related merchandise. See also the March 2017 BPP “In the Headlines”. This Operation was actually a year-round effort, commencing after last year’s game, by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with the National Intellectual Property Rights Center (IPR Center) cracking down on illegal importation of counterfeit sports apparel and entertainment merchandise.
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The European Commission requests written contributions from stakeholders identifying marketplaces that should be included in the Counterfeit and Piracy Watch-List for 2018.

Deadline for submissions is March 31, 2018.
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National Intellectual Rights Coordination Center Open House
The IPR Center will observe its 10-year anniversary with an open house celebration, which will coincide with World IP Day. The event will highlight the many collaborative initiatives coordinated by the Center over the years.
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The USPTO joins with the Congressional Trademark Caucus, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA), the International Trademark Association (INTA), and the Global Intellectual Property Center of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to celebrate World IP Day 2018. This year’s theme is “Innovation: Improving Lives.” 
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World IP Day –Michigan
Michigan State University’s Center for Anti-Counterfeiting and Product Protection (A-CAPP), International Business Center, and Global Food Law host a half-day event to recognize World IP Day. Participants will engage in a networking lunch and three discussion panels, Packaging Challenges and Opportunities, Protecting Your IP on E-Commerce, and Emerging Markets: Best Practices for IP Issues.
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WIPO World IP Day Events Map.  Find out what’s happening in your country.
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Jianhua “Jeff” Li, a Chinese national defendant who pleaded guilty to smuggling more than 40,000 fake electronic devices into the United States, will be sentenced on May 30. Among the products that Li smuggled were Apple-brand iPads and iPhones as well as labels and packaging. Kebharu Smith of the U.S. Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section is one of the prosecutors on the case.  See this edition’s “Where Can Brand Owners Find the Undiscovered Leak of their Trade Secrets? It’s Academic” co-authored by Kebharu Smith and John Zacharia.
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