Intellectual property rights can be acquired through an entry in a register or through use in the course of business. Unauthorized use of these rights is not permitted. Intellectual property rights can include patents, designs or trademarks, for example.

If goods that infringe such intellectual property rights are placed on the market in the European Union (EU), rights holders, rights users or groups of producers and law-abiding manufacturers and traders may suffer considerable damage. Counterfeit products can endanger the health or safety of consumers.

As a rights holder, you can submit an application for "action by customs authorities" under EU law for goods from third countries that could potentially infringe rights. You can limit this application to Germany. It is then a national application. You can also submit a Union application for other Member States.

In addition, you can also submit an application for "seizure by the customs authorities" in accordance with German legislation if the Union provisions are not applicable. This may apply to intra-Union traffic, for example.

If the customs authorities agree to your application, they can stop the suspicious goods as part of customs supervision. You and the person who declared or owns the goods will be informed during the customs stop. In the event of an infringement, the goods will be destroyed.

As the holder of a positive decision, you can also request information about the consignor, the consignee, the declarant or the holder of the goods, as well as the origin, provenance and destination of the goods.