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Congressional Daily Record
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Issued
July 29, 2026
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Download official Senate Record PDFReturn to issue contextSUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS
SENATE RESOLUTION 818—RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF TRADEMARKS IN THE
ECONOMY AND THE ROLE OF TRADEMARKS IN PROTECTING CONSUMER SAFETY BY
DESIGNATING THE MONTH OF JULY AS “NATIONAL ANTI-COUNTERFEITING AND
CONSUMER EDUCATION AND AWARENESS MONTH”
Mr. GRASSLEY (for himself, Mr. Coons, Mr. Tillis, and Ms. Hirono) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:
Whereas public awareness is crucial to safeguard consumers
and businesses from unsafe and unreliable products that,
through illicit activity, threaten intellectual property
rights, the economic market, and even the health and well-
being of consumers;
Whereas Federal statutes such as the Act entitled “An Act
to provide for the registration and protection of trademarks
used in commerce, to carry out the provisions of certain
international conventions, and for other purposes”, approved
July 5, 1946 (commonly referred to as the “Trademark Act of
1946” or the “Lanham Act”) (60 Stat. 427, chapter 540; 15
U.S.C. 1051 et seq.) (referred to in this preamble as the
“Lanham Act”), and the Trademark Counterfeiting Act of 1984
(Public Law 98-473; 98 Stat. 2178) regulate the unlawful act
of producing and selling counterfeit products;
Whereas the Lanham Act provided the foundation for modern
Federal trademark protection, creating legal rights and
remedies for brand owners suffering from trademark
infringement, helping consumers make informed choices by
reducing the amount of confusingly similar products, and
making the marketplace more fair, competitive, and safer for
all;
Whereas October 12, 2026, marks the 42nd anniversary of the
enactment of the Lanham Act;
Whereas the year 2026 marks the 250th anniversary of the
signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776,
and the protection of intellectual property enables people
worldwide to recognize American brands that are synonymous
with leaders in their product sectors and the United States
of America as a nation;
Whereas, according to the World Intellectual Property
Organization, there were an estimated 93,200,000 active
trademark registrations around the world in 2024, a 6.1-
percent increase from the previous year;
Whereas counterfeit products undermine laws, including the
Lanham Act, that ensure the safety of consumers, businesses,
and brand owners against illegitimate products in the
marketplace, from which criminal groups and bad actors are
benefitting at the expense of the public and private sector;
Whereas counterfeiters widely use online platforms to
attract consumers to buy illegitimate goods, usually enticing
consumers through cheaper prices;
Whereas the growth of both global commerce and electronic
commerce has expedited the evolving problem of counterfeit
goods, because that growth in commerce has given third-party
actors an enhanced opportunity to reach consumers that they
may have not previously been able to reach;
Whereas the deceptive tactics of counterfeiters and their
counterfeit products pose actual and potential harm to the
health and safety of the people of the United States,
especially the most vulnerable consumers in society, such as
senior citizens and children;
Whereas, according to the 2026 report by the United States
Trade Representative required under section 182(h) of the
Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2242(h)) (commonly referred to
as the “Special 301 Report”), counterfeit items often do
not comply with regulated safety standards “endanger[ing]
the public, . . . often fuel[ing] cross-border organized
criminal networks, increase[ing] the vulnerability of workers
to exploitative labor practices, and hinder[ing] sustainable
economic development in many countries”;
Whereas, according to the United States Trade
Representative and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, goods
originating in China and Hong Kong, valued at $6,400,000,000,
accounted for more than 87 percent of all customs seizures of
dangerous counterfeit goods in fiscal year 2025, including
electronics, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and other goods;
Whereas counterfeit medical products and medications pose a
particular threat to the safety and health of consumers in
the United States because those counterfeit goods do not
adhere to the same quality standards as authentic articles;
Whereas, in 2025, the Drug Enforcement Administration
seized a staggering 47,000,000 fentanyl-laced fake
prescription pills;
Whereas, in fiscal year 2025, U.S. Customs and Border
Protection seized more than 78,000,000 counterfeit goods,
with an estimated manufacturer's suggested retail price of
more than $7,400,000,000 if the goods were genuine, which
equates to over $20,000,000 in counterfeit goods seizures
every day, constituting an increase in quantity greater than
double the number of goods seized in fiscal year 2024 and
nearly a 40-percent increase in the value of goods seized
year over year;
Whereas businesses of all sizes collectively spend millions
of dollars to protect and enforce their own brand and
products by removing counterfeit products from both online
and physical marketplaces;
Whereas businesses must devote resources to combating
counterfeit products instead of using those resources to grow
their business by hiring new employees and developing new
products;
Whereas one of the most effective ways to protect consumers
from the dangers of counterfeit products is through
educational campaigns and awareness programs; and
Whereas organizations such as the Congressional Trademark
Caucus, Federal enforcement agencies, the National
Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center, State
enforcement agencies, and other organizations are actively
working to raise awareness of the value of trademarks and the
impact and harms caused by counterfeit products on both the
national and State economies: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate—
(1) designates the month of July 2026 as “National Anti-
Counterfeiting and Consumer Education and Awareness Month”;
(2) supports the goals and ideals of National Anti-
Counterfeiting and Consumer Education and Awareness Month to
educate the public and raise public awareness about the
actual and potential dangers counterfeit products pose to
consumer health and safety;
(3) affirms the continuing importance and need for
comprehensive Federal, State, and private sector-supported
education and awareness efforts designed to equip the
consumers of the United States with the information and tools
needed to safeguard against illegal counterfeit products in
traditional commerce, internet commerce, and other electronic
commerce platforms; and
(4) recognizes and reaffirms the commitment of the United
States to combating counterfeiting by promoting awareness
about the actual and potential harm of counterfeiting to
consumers and brand owners and by promoting new education
programs and campaigns designed to reduce the supply of, and
demand for, counterfeit products.