The United States Department of Homeland Security released their counterfeit seizures for the Fiscal Year 2007 last week.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced today it had seized counterfeit or pirated merchandise worth approximately $200 million in domestic value for fiscal year (FY) 2007. This year’s activities continue a significant upward trend in the value of seizures, exceeding the value of last year’s by 27 percent.

The domestic value of the goods is determined by adding the cost of manufacturing goods in a foreign country to the costs of shipping, insurance and customs duties to enter the United States and, therefore, is lower than the manufacturer’s suggested retail price.

The number one seized item was $77.7 million in counterfeit footwear, which accounted for 40 percent of the total value of goods seized.

The United States Counterfeit Goods Markets is a $225 billion market.